


Step Inside

by zenonaa



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: F/F, F/M, Genocider Syo - Freeform, Ishimaru Kiyotaka - Freeform, Later chapters are e-rated, Maizono Sayaka - Freeform, Multi, Naegi Makoto - Freeform, Togami Kijou, Togami Shinobu - Freeform, Yukizome Chisa - Freeform, au where despair didn't happen and junko was content, mentions of csa, past Maizono Sayaka/Kirigiri Kyouko, with leaving the fridge open and moving things slightly everyday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-03-26 11:08:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 66,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13856547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenonaa/pseuds/zenonaa
Summary: “That’s impossible, isn’t it? It’s the sort of continuity error that you would find in a beginner’s story.”“It’s not impossible. If it was impossible, then it wouldn’t have happened.”Togami hires Kirigiri to solve a mass murder that occurred at his wedding anniversary party. One hitman was apprehended, but he refuses to say a single word, while the other got away. The mastermind could be anyone, but the list of suspects is getting shorter, and Kirigiri finds herself learning more about the Togamis than she anticipated.





	1. I Can't Be Killed

**Author's Note:**

> Later chapters are e-rated, so only read if you're 18+ pls.
> 
> Also, happy bday, Fukawa.

The room of autumn hues didn’t contain any windows, buried deep in the Togami manor, but Kyouko felt confident in her estimate of the time - not long after noon, despite how the silences seemed to drag on after everything that she said. Whenever she spoke, she faintly tasted the soy sauce that had been added to her helping of white radish, which she ate as part of her lunch.

“Where were you at the time of the first shot?” Kyouko asked, pen poised in her hand, ready to jot information down into her leather bound notebook.

She didn’t receive a response, just a background hum from some piece of technology. Most likely the air conditioning. It soon became clear that she wasn’t going to receive an answer just by waiting for one, so she glanced up.

Byakuya sat opposite her, a red mahogany desk between them, and as he looked off to the side, he drummed his fingers on his thigh. What exactly had captured his interest, she couldn’t say, but because their interview was being held in his study office, it couldn’t have been anything that he hadn’t had the chance to examine before. The novelty of her sitting where he usually sat must have worn off after their first meeting in this room. He must have walked across the polished wooden flooring and rust brown rug, patterned with an intricate ornate design, on a daily basis if not one close to that since his first day living here, and he couldn’t have needed to reacquaint himself with the portraits hung up of him and his wife.

By now, even Kyouko had managed to familiarise herself with the stern faces on the walls until she knew where each line had been drawn, where each shadow fell, disinterested though she was.

A minute limped by, during which Kyouko’s frown deepened.

“Togami-kun, you are making things much more difficult than they need to be,” she said, succeeding in talking in an even tone, even if it was quite strained. “Several people died. All were important to the Togami Conglomerate, yet you sit there with an indifferent attitude... like it has nothing to do with you.”

In an eventual sign of acknowledgement, Byakuya’s eyes flitted to hers and he crossed one leg over the other.

“Don’t misunderstand. I am bothered by their abrupt deaths. They will be hard to replace,” he replied. His cold tone and hardened expression suggested no sorrow, and the only thing that might have given credit to his words were the shadows under his eyes. “It will be years until anyone gains as much experience as those who died, so all of this is terribly inconvenient.”

Kyouko regulated her breathing, adamant that she not give Byakuya the pleasure of making her snap at him.

Honestly, he needed a better pass time.

She spoke again, in the same light but firm voice as before. “According to your wife, she left to fetch drinks shortly prior to the first victim.”

Byakuya unfolded his legs and leaned forward, bringing his face slightly closer to hers. He placed his elbow onto the desk, depositing it next to his cup of coffee, brought in on a tray by Touko earlier, and rested his chin against the back of that hand, paying more attention to Kyouko than any other instance during this interview so far.

“That’s right,” he said. “If you have already spoken to Touko about this, there’s little point in interrogating me about what happened as well. You’re not going to crack the case by trying to cross-examine us because neither of us had anything to do with it beyond hosting the party.”

Kyouko lowered her pen onto the crevice between the two exposed pages in her open notebook. She left it there and laced her fingers together. “Just now, you said it yourself. ‘There’s little point.’ ‘Little.’ That means there is some point.”

He glowered but didn’t argue.

“Once the gunfire started, there was a lot of commotion so it’s hard to piece together what exactly went on after that event in a neat timeline,” she carried on.

She paused and tucked some loose hair behind her ear.

“Touko-san doesn’t remember much of what happened,” said Kyouko. “Genocider Syo had to take over.”

Kyouko separated her hands and looked down. Next to her notebook was a cup of tea for herself. She stirred it with a teaspoon and once she decided that she had mixed it enough, she tapped the spoon against the rim of the cup. It clinked three times, and when she set the spoon onto the saucer, it gave a fourth, final squeal.

“I should hope that you know me well enough to know that I won’t fail to notice your reluctance to engage me,” said Kyouko between sips, staring back at Byakuya. The tea was tart, with an unsweetened fruity flavour. “It is a simple question, and your refusal to cooperate, I’m sure you will agree, is only serving to make you seem more...”

Byakuya’s expression didn’t change.

“... suspicious,” she finished.

His brow quirked and in contrast to how he had bent forward, he put down his cup and reclined in his chair, arms folded over his chest.

“Are you suggesting that I hired the hitmen? Is that why you’re so interested in knowing my exact location?” he said with not a lot of amusement in his eyes, but more than one might have expected from a cold man like him and more than someone should have in his circumstances. A smirk bubbled on his lips. “Is this what you’ve been mulling over for two weeks? Where I happened to be at the time wouldn’t matter if I did that. But if you must know, I was waiting at the side of the room for Touko, which is how we got separated for a while.”

He was grinning now, lacking any humour, and he worked a glare out of Kyouko. She clenched her jaw and sorted through her next words carefully. Securing a timeslot with Byakuya had involved a lot of insisting and persistence, and she refused to let it go to waste.

“I’m not suggesting that you hired them,” she said. “However, you’re not doing yourself any favours by acting like this, and others may not take kindly to your attitude. We still don’t know who they are and who they work for. The identification found on the man you managed to apprehend was for a guest who didn’t attend, and he disguised himself as him in order to infiltrate the party. Until he decides to talk, we won’t know who he is nor why he was there.”

Byakuya still smirked. Her face twitched.

“This isn’t a game, Togami-kun,” she said tightly.

“I know,” he replied.

“You could easily have become part of the statistics.”

“Fool.” No smile now. “I can’t be killed.”

Kyouko pursed her lips. Her heart pounded in her chest and she refused to meet his eyes.

“Would you like some more tea?” he eventually asked, still lounging back in his chair.

“... I would,” she said.

Rather than pour her some from the pot, Byakuya sat up and then rose from his seat completely. He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, which he tapped his thumb against for a couple of seconds before stowing it away again, and he stayed stood with his hand in the same pocket as his phone.

“Someone will bring you some new tea to the library in fifteen minutes.” Byakuya turned away. “That will be all, for today.”

“You’re leaving?” she asked. Even when she directed that question at him, he didn’t so much as glance back. “I wasn’t finished here.”

Byakuya waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t have a lot of time to spare, and as I have told you countless times, I don’t have any relevant information that will help you with your case that you don’t already know.”

Her features hardened but his attention had already drifted elsewhere, to the door that he was strolling toward, and she slowly turned her head so she could continue burning imaginary holes into the back of his head.

“Really, you should be grateful that I graced you with my presence at all,” he said by the door. “Mitsue Enterprises is trying to sway me into investing in the production of one of their latest plane models. They need my funding and no doubt my directions, and I’m in the mood to hear them out at the very least. I’ve given them one hour to put forth their proposal, and that hour starts in ten minutes.”

Kyouko didn’t move. The door opened and shut. She peered down at the open pages in her notebook, where only Byakuya’s name had been written down, and she drew a few circles around Byakuya’s name, etching grooves into the sheet underneath.

* * *

 

A month ago, the Togami Conglomerate threw a party at a private venue to celebrate the one year wedding anniversary of Byakuya and Touko Togami. By the time Kyouko received a message in her inbox about the incident at the party from Byakuya’s personal email, something that he handed out to a select few during his time in Hope’s Peak, the explosions that cracked the air had since disappeared and the bodies on the hall’s floor swept away, leaving only chalk outlines, blood stains and the odd casing as proof of what transpired. Six people died, five in the main hall and one in a side room. Three were injured, in close proximity of the victims. There was likely to be more than one shooter, as the victim in the side room had been found with a bullet that didn’t belong to any guns on the shooter or in the building.

Working out the hitmen’s identity wasn’t most important. Working out who hired them was, as well as how they got in, and the man with the stolen identity seemed to have no motivation, no connection beyond being impersonated.

“This will be the pinnacle of your career,” Byakuya had promised Kyouko on the first day, as she stood in front of the manor’s arched front door, her suitcase by her feet. Not only did he answer the door rather than ask one of his many maids to, he personally led Kyouko to her room, as he had invited her to board there for the duration of her investigation. On the way there, Byakuya gave Kyouko a short tour, pointing out to her the dining room and his office and, finally, where she would be sleeping, an ostentatious bedroom with a ensuite bathroom.

He left Kyouko to figure out the layout of the manor by herself, and her exploration on the first night led her to the dining room, where she found Touko, seated at the table with a white cup, rimmed golden. Kyouko managed to evade her and slipped into the kitchen, and stayed unnoticed until the kettle hissed.

“I thought I heard someone,” said Touko, behind her.

After Kyouko prepared her drink, they sat down at the table, seating themselves opposite each other. Kyouko peeked at Touko, whose eyes were aimed downward. By the end of their time at Hope’s Peak, Touko had become little more than a wallflower, though from where she started, that was still progress. Touko smiled more and lurked around less, and she even accepted invitations to Aoi’s and Sayaka’s sleepovers as their time at the academy came to a close. Her hair, brown, tinted purple, with more hues depending on the last time she washed it, had been restrained to two braids during their school life. Perhaps she still did wear them that way, sometimes, but earlier that day, her hair had been arranged into a single braid that hung over one of her shoulders, and now was completely down.

Kyouko secretly preferred Touko’s hair in braids. Braids in general were cute. Though not conventionally pretty, Touko had a bookish charm that was pretty in its own way, but Kyouko doubted that Touko would believe her. Not that Kyouko intended to mention this. Ever.

“What were you really up to before I found you?” asked Touko, squinting at Kyouko.

“I had been reading through the information that Togami-kun collected for me, but I was thirsty so I decided to brew myself a drink,” explained Kyouko calmly.

A glint caught her attention. It was Touko’s wedding ring. Even if Kyouko had wanted to look at it more, Touko casually covered it with her other hand as she shifted in her seat.

“You weren’t snooping around or trying to plant fake evidence and frame my darling, were you?” asked Touko.

“No. I said I was thirsty,” said Kyouko.

Touko scoffed and had a sip of tea. Her wedding ring became exposed again.

“I guess that you sneaking around at a random time at night isn’t too out of the ordinary,” Touko remarked at a random time at night, slightly less tense.

Kyouko turned her head to check the exact time on the clock on the wall. It was almost two in the morning.

“You’re awake too,” commented Kyouko. Touko trembled.

“S-So? It’s because I write best when there’s no noise. The only acceptable ones are my darling’s snores,” said Touko, immediately back on the defence. “I only permit music when I’m trying to get inspired, b-but when I actually write...? I need quiet or else I can’t follow the rhythm of my prose and I’ll write something stilted. Luckily, this place is so big that I can usually not be disturbed by guests.”

Touko huffed and slumped back in her seat. In contrast, Kyouko sat up straighter.

“Do Togami-kun’s parents visit often?” asked Kyouko.

“A few times,” said Touko with a grimace. It caught Kyouko off guard for a moment, but Kyouko’s eyes narrowed again as Touko talked more. “Byakuya’s mother raised him alongside Pennyworth and she is a no nonsense woman, and his father is...”

Kyouko watched Touko’s eyes flicker.

“... a formidable man,” finished Touko, and Kyouko suspected that had they not been Byakuya’s parents, her descriptions of them would not have been as carefully worded.

“Do you like them?” asked Kyouko.

“D-Do I...?” Touko jumped in her seat, Her wide eyes soon became slits, glaring. “O-Of course I do...! You’re trying to stir up unnecessary drama, aren’t you?”

After a pause, Kyouko said, “No,” and Touko grumbled incoherently.

They didn’t speak as they finished their drinks, Touko with rosehip tea and Kyouko with hot chocolate topped with a partially melted marshmallow, and neither exchanged a single word as they accompanied each other to the kitchen once both had finished their beverages. Touko rinsed her cup in the sink, and then Kyouko did, and as Kyouko washed her cup, she didn’t hear any footsteps.

Kyouko fitted her cup into the rack beside the sink and turned around. Just as she suspected, Touko was still there.

“... You,” said Touko, avoiding eye contact by directing her gaze slightly below that level, at Kyouko’s neck.

“... Me?” asked Kyouko, blinking.

“Usually, when I return to my room, I have to turn the lights on and off, over and over again, along the way,” said Touko, and Kyouko started to have an idea of what Touko was leading toward. “All that clicking and having to adjust my eyes to the light and dark, repeatedly, it gives me a headache!”

She pressed her hands against her ears and shook her head. Just a few times, and then she stopped, staring at Kyouko’s lips.

“We’re letting you stay here, so you can earn your k-keep by walking me to my room!” said Touko. She whipped a finger forward, pointing at Kyouko and nearly striking her on the nose.

If Kyouko needed to earn her keep, surely it would have been by trying to work out who the perpetrators of the shootings were. Still, though Kyouko wouldn’t call herself close to Touko, nor did she consider herself a particularly selfless person like her close friend Makoto was, she wasn’t heartless, or cruel, so she walked past Touko and out of the kitchen, and she let Touko follow from behind.

The first corridor that they came to was fairly dark, with a few wall lamps, already switched on, spaced out across walls that Kyouko remembered were the colour of tea diluted with too much milk. There was enough light for them to see where they were going, and the corridor was straight, anyway, so Kyouko started forward without turning the ceiling lights on.

Touko grabbed Kyouko’s upper arm. “D-Don’t leave me behind! We had a deal!”

Kyouko frowned but didn’t shake her off. She led Touko down the stretch of royal blue carpet to the other end of the corridor. Touko pointed at which corner they needed to take next, and they carried on like this. Time dragged as Touko clung to Kyouko, slowing down Kyouko’s pace. They didn’t talk, but Kyouko didn’t mind.

When Touko finally let go of her, Kyouko took a few more steps before processing what happened.

“... Thanks,” said Touko, and she disappeared through the doorway beside her. Voices mumbled inside, and Kyouko recognised them to belong to Byakuya and Touko, indicating that he was still awake, but Kyouko didn’t stay long enough to discern any of what they said.

Instead, Kyouko searched for her room, which took five minutes to get to. Once there, she kicked her half-empty suitcase under her bed and lay on her back on the four poster bed. The room boasted various furnishings, like a colossal wardrobe, a mirror above a desk on the opposite side of the room to the bed, a chandelier and a vase of white flowers that sat on the desk. Most eye-catching, perhaps, was the large portrait of Byakuya and Touko above her headboard, depicting them standing close together, Byakuya’s arm around Touko’s waist.

Other rooms contained paintings too, of scenery, of Byakuya with Touko, or them by themselves, and some of who Kyouko suspected was Byakuya’s mother, as well as a few of his father. She had not seen a painting of his parents together, however.

“Traditionally, the head of the Togami Conglomerate marries the woman who can produce the most high quality child. They run tests to determine which child is best,” Touko told Kyouko on the fifth night of Kyouko’s visit, and on the fifth night that they drank together in the dining room despite never agreeing to meet up. “Byakuya’s parents don’t live together, and beyond numbers, they don’t know each other that well.”

Sometime back at Hope’s Peak, Byakuya told them that he had a half-sibling called Shinobu who attended the same school but was in the class above them. During their school days, Shinobu and Kyouko never had a reason to talk to each other, so they didn’t, and Kyouko remembered Byakuya acknowledging her only after Junko, whose childhood friend was in Shinobu’s class, asked him in front of everyone about the existence of another Togami, pointing at him like a lawyer in a video game.

When he confirmed that him and Shinobu were related, Junko asked why he was heir and not his old sister. His response had been, ‘She’s not interested in that sort of thing,’ and the subject soon dropped. They hadn’t been raised together either, which Kyouko put down to their different interests, and she wondered why Junko made a big deal of it. One was raised to be heir, the other... not. The other pursued life as a secretary, apparently, and was raised by her mother.

“I-It’s a loveless marriage, but they didn’t marry because they liked each other,” Touko said. She squirmed in her seat and made sure to add, “Not like me and Byakuya.”

“I see. I was given a copy of the guest list, and according to it, Togami-kun’s father didn’t attend the party,” said Kyouko. “His mother did and so did his sister, but both escaped without injury.”

She paused.

“And your family didn’t attend,” said Kyouko.

Touko’s lips wiggled as she averted her gaze.

“I’ve cut ties with my old family and Byakuya’s father was absent, yes. He was on the other side of the country at the time,” explained Touko. “He’s a busy man... He could only attend our wedding via video call.”

Kyouko raised her cup to her lips and didn’t expect Touko to say anything else, at least not for a while, but then Touko looked at Kyouko again and her voice resurfaced, stronger than before.

“But just because they don’t love each other, doesn’t mean that’s going to happen to me and Byakuya.” She spoke with a surprising amount of eye contact. “We t-talked about it. Normally, Byakuya would be flying all over the world to attend meetings, but we came up with the ingenious plan that he could use group video calls so he wouldn’t have to leave home so much.”

There followed a beat of silence, but Kyouko missed her chance to fill it, not used to Touko talking so much, not even about one of her favourite things: literature and her husband.

“Of course, even though I would miss my darling, time and distance wouldn’t affect how strongly we feel for each other,” said Touko. She set down her cup of rosehip tea, same as usual, onto its saucer, and grasped herself in a tight hug, smile shamelessly wide. “W-We wouldn’t feel a thing...! A shred of difference! When we have babies, he wants to be there for them, and even though he has to spend hours at a time, several times a day, in his office, I can p-peep in or sit on his lap in his breaks. When he’s not on video call, we can spend time together while he works. He’s an incredible multi-tasker, you know...”

Over the course of her last bit of dialogue, the wholesome smile on Touko’s face had grown into a smirk, and what Touko imparted had provided Kyouko with more than enough information and mental images, so Kyouko didn’t indulge. She nodded and tilted her cup so a wave of hot chocolate crashed past her lips.

“I love my darling so much,” said Touko, nearly falling into a sigh at the end of her statement. It was ambiguous at this point whether she was talking to herself or to Kyouko. In any case, Kyouko listened quietly, and Touko seemed satisfied, staring dreamily into space.

Kyouko took this as an opportunity to study Touko’s expression, while Touko was preoccupied in her own thoughts and less likely to be self-conscious about it. Touko’s smiles tended to be small unless influenced by Byakuya in some way. A row of teeth filled her smile and brightened her face, more than the chandelier above them. She didn’t realise that she had been staring until Touko refocused, sparking eye contact.

The smile of Touko’s face drooped. Kyouko ducked her head, but too late.

“What?” asked Touko, evidently displeased with Kyouko’s reaction. “D-Do I have some tea around my mouth like a beard? Lettuce between my teeth?”

Touko swallowed and started to give off a number of gulps and sputters. Kyouko looked up and saw that Touko was licking her lips and the surrounding area of skin.

“It’s fine,” said Kyouko, wincing a bit. She relaxed after Touko’s long tongue retreated into her mouth. “I just zoned out for a moment.”

A yawn escaped Touko, despite Touko’s attempt to restrain it.

“Does Togami-kun not mind that you’re staying up so late?” asked Kyouko.

“He understands that’s when I work best,” Touko replied. She hesitated, fidgeting with her cup. Her face grew pinker and she added, “I either work in our bedroom or in my writing room. Sometimes, he’ll persuade me to join him in bed, and he certainly knows how to tempt me... if you know what I mean...”

Laughter rumbled in Touko. Unfortunately, Kyouko knew what Touko meant.

“We’ve been trying for a baby of our own,” said Touko, unprompted, grinning. “We arrange appointments together, even though we sometimes have them spontaneously... and we’ve had some already...”

Kyouko didn’t pursue the subject, but of course, that didn’t stop Touko from spending the rest of their meeting gushing about how wonderful and considerate Byakuya was - a side of him that Kyouko could only take Touko’s word for, all told while grinning and snorting occasionally.

During their last year at Hope’s Peak, about halfway through, Byakuya arrived to breakfast one morning with his hand reciprocating Touko’s grip, and other than a few raised eyebrows, no one questioned it, and even those who exchanged looks couldn’t have been too surprised, not after they spent so much time together alone. Most of their class saw it coming, but much of their relationship, Kyouko thought, took place behind closed doors.

Byakuya choosing to marry Touko, someone who wouldn’t have been selected by the conglomerate, was something unheard of in all of its history. It could be described as controversial, and Byakuya’s boasts about taking the company in new directions, to new heights, could easily have earned him a number of enemies, many of whom worked closely with him or had done with his father.

“B-But it was a risk that he willingly took,” said Touko when two weeks had passed since Kyouko jabbed her finger against the doorbell. She smiled to herself and sipped some more tea, but though she smiled to herself, Kyouko still saw it, and Kyouko gave a faint grin of her own.

“Togami-kun must be rather fond of you,” said Kyouko. The inside of her mouth was warm from coffee.

Touko stiffened, then slouched.

“We’ve been married for more than a year,” said Touko with a scowl, taking advantage of those few weeks that had passed since their anniversary. She curled her fingers. “O-Of course he loves me!”

Kyouko’s brow furrowed.

“I apologise if you felt that I was implying otherwise,” said Kyouko, reaching a hand toward Touko, who made no effort to close the distance with hers, and Kyouko soon drew her hand back. “What I mean is, Togami-kun is not an openly affectionate sort of person, but from what you’ve said, it paints him as surprisingly doting compared to the impression he gives off.”

Though not as much as before, Touko was still seething. She wrung her hands together.

“J-Just because Byakuya doesn’t put on a show for you, d-doesn’t mean you’re right,” said Touko, with no eye contact.

The dining room’s main lights weren’t switched on, only the chandelier, and it cast fractured light across Touko’s face that seemed to dance on her with every movement, no matter how slight. Kyouko couldn’t see eyes behind Touko’s glasses. She looked down at the cup in her gloved hands.

“What about you and Maizono?” asked Touko, before conversation could dry up completely. Which, normally, she would allow to happen, but didn’t for some reason.

“We’re still broken up,” said Kyouko with twinge of annoyance, like Touko sprayed acid with her words.

Keeping her eyes down, Kyouko drank the rest of her coffee, focusing on how it filled her with heat, and then she was confronted by the lack of heat once there was no more to drink. She didn’t rise, slowly rotating her empty cup in her hands. No chair legs screeched, and no footsteps reverberated, so Touko must have not got up from her chair either.

“Weren’t you happy with her?” asked Touko, who had indeed not left, and said what she said less harshly than her last question.

Kyouko stopped rolling her cup and stared at its stained bottom.

“I was,” said Kyouko softly. “Sayaka was happy too, but not long before I accepted Togami-kun’s request, she told me that the pressure of maintaining a double life, of being an idol and dating, had become crippling. I don’t suppose you are a fan of any idols, but they must uphold an image of purity and inexperience with romance or else their career may face an irreparable blow.”

Touko snorted. Kyouko looked up at the noise and saw Touko’s shoulders bounce.

One end of Touko’s lips were stretched out into half a smile, but she showed no amusement. She said, “O-Of course I know that! Even though I don’t care about idols, I know their lives are all fabricated... and I know how certain men think they’re entitled to those girls! T-There was a case where someone thought they found a pornographic video of a particular idol. Men all over the internet destroyed their posters of her, and they recorded themselves setting fire to her photographs. Message boards were filled with hate and threats. I-It wasn’t even true, in the end, it was just someone who vaguely resembles her, but that just goes to show how some people think they own a person that they’ve never even met once.”

She picked up her cup and as she squeezed the handle, the cup twitched, but because Touko, by now, had drank most of her tea, there wasn’t enough to accidentally spill out when the cup became positioned in an appropriate angle for that to occur.

“It’s a d-disgusting culture,” added Touko, and the half of a smile that she managed to produce dropped from her face. “Maizono used to parrot crap about wanting to inspire young girls and be like a friend to all of her fans, and as shallow as that is, those filthy men come along like clockwork and invade spaces intended for those girls...! Every damn time!”

Kyouko bobbed her head in agreement.

“D-Dirty pigs,” hissed Touko. The shadows on her face accented the disgust clearly visible on her features. “N-No matter how many times you soak them in scalding water and scrub at their skin, they’re the same filthy animals.”

Despite what many people claimed, pigs were actually rather clean animals. Back at Hope’s Peak, Kyouko once overheard the animal breeder in the grade above say this to Hiyoko Saionji in response to Hiyoko making cruel remarks about one of her classmates. The sentiment was not lost, though, so while Kyouko didn’t nod again, she shot a small smile in Touko’s direction.

Touko’s chair lurched back as she stood up. Its legs squawked against the flooring. Kyouko rose too and they washed up in the kitchen, side-by-side, warm water dribbling down Kyouko’s gloves.

Wordlessly, they started for Kyouko’s room, and their pace fell into the rhythm that this routine developed over the past two weeks. Then, without warning, in the second corridor, Touko pressed closer to Kyouko, who turned her head toward her. Touko’s face stayed forward.

“You better not let yourself get distracted by reminiscing about yourself and Maizono, Kirigiri,” said Touko. “I-If you fail Byakuya...”

She trailed off without detailing her threat, and Touko might have deserved a reply. Reassurance, perhaps, but Kyouko’s mind allocated no thoughts, no words to her mouth, concentrating on the pressure that Touko applied to her. They rounded the corner and Touko continued speaking, her voice reverberating through the new corridor.

“I can just imagine you at your desk, legs twisted together, bottom lip bulging under your pearly white teeth,” said Touko. She clung tighter to Kyouko’s arm and let out what Kyouko feared to be a moan. “Y-You’re grinding your ass against your chair but the throbbing between your legs doesn’t relent, so you drag your pen away from your notebook, page open on doodles of breasts, and untangle your legs. Breathing shallowly, you press the end of your pen against your translucent panties...”

Such remarks from Touko weren’t unfamiliar, but she had always flung them at others, like their classmate Aoi, to unsettle her, to amuse herself, to give herself some sort of satisfaction, and had never flung them at Kyouko until now. Touko purred, and Kyouko felt a pulse in her crotch. She shifted as discreetly as she could, trying to release the tension that Touko’s words, and how they were spoken, knotted down there. What Touko said didn’t remind Kyouko of the act of flinging, but of a hand that ran down Kyouko’s bare stomach and slipped a finger between the lips where her legs separated, slow and constant.

They kept walking, as taxing as Kyouko found the action to be. Her feet seemed to stick to the floor. Each step required effort to peel herself away from it.

“Gradually, you increase the pressure, trying to stifle the moans that ravage your throat,” Touko said. She moved away and came back to brush up against Kyouko’s side. Kyouko inhaled Touko’s musty scent and shivered, but Touko didn’t comment on her involuntary movement, in full swing. “Your legs jiggle, b-but you’re like a pot of salt with not enough holes. You need to screw off the lid and reach a finger in there, and scoop out...”

“Touko?” came Byakuya’s voice from behind the door that Touko and Kyouko just arrived at.

A squeak popped out of Touko and she let go of Kyouko’s arm.

“B-Byakuya! I d-didn’t know you were still awake!” she said, and she opened the door nearest to them and darted inside.

The door thumped shut and Kyouko jerked up her chin, feeling Touko’s absence, hearing static as uncomfortable as her tingling skin. Her cheeks blazed and she bowed her head, soon heading for her room. There, she sat upright on her bed, and gradually wrapped her arms around herself. Kyouko swallowed, and then needed to swallow again, and rubbed her thighs together. Neither of those actions helped. Rubbing her thighs did but only temporarily, and once she stopped, the ache in them reappeared.

She closed her eyes and shuddered. What she should have been thinking about was the ballroom that she crouched down in the previous day during her investigation, where she could almost hear the classical music that trilled and see the ghosts of spiraling dancers that occupied the floor. Explosions of gunfire should have simmered in her mind, of screams and sobs and raw terror, not Touko’s lips crackling as her nonexistent hand pushed down on one of Kyouko’s thighs.

Other than bumping their arms together, Touko hadn’t touched her, and yet... Kyouko gulped.

Really, Kyouko’s hand rested on her thigh, not Touko’s. She didn’t and couldn’t sleep until she exhausted herself first, lying in bed afterwards with guilty thoughts and an ache in her chest for Sayaka nearly as strong as the ache between her legs.


	2. A Wall

As she showered and dressed, and on her way to breakfast, Kyouko wondered if things would be awkward when she entered the dining room. Touko didn’t always attend mealtimes, but Kyouko still felt wary. Byakuya must have overheard a good portion of what happened.

Well, what Touko said.

Her pace slowed as she drew closer to her destination, and gripping the doorknob, she considered coming later when she could be certain that her mess of emotions wouldn’t prompt her to act irrationally. Masking emotions didn’t mean not feeling them, and she had no control over how Byakuya would respond to her after what transpired.

A minute passed. Kyouko hardened her resolve and opened the door. Touko wasn’t there yet, nor was breakfast, but Byakuya was there. He didn’t look up, tapping on his phone, already in a dark suit with a glimpse of green that was his cross tie. Every morning up to and including this one, he wore one of his suits, never attending a meal in anything else. Surely, he owned pyjamas of some kind, even if she never saw him in them, and he always made her feel underdressed despite her wearing, using today as an example, a near formless white blouse and layered navy skirt, divided by a belt that had a plastic bow decoration on the front.

Not that she had dressed up for anyone, of course.

Deciding that she had spent enough time hesitating in the doorway, Kyouko strode through the large room and seated herself at the same corner of the table as Byakuya. She didn’t sit directly next to him, but a chair away from the head of the table, which Byakuya occupied.

“Good morning,” she said.

He hummed once. His fingers didn’t falter, and had they not been scuttling about on the screen, she might have thought he nodded off to sleep because the rest of him barely moved. Kyouko couldn’t see his eyes because his head was tilted forward, and fluffy blond hair helped block her view.

Guilt rolled over in Kyouko’s stomach, with confusion and annoyance baked into it. If she had been him and she had overheard her partner say what Touko said to someone else, she wouldn’t have just sat there playing on her phone. She would have... would have...

... given the person the cold shoulder.

Like Byakuya seemed to be doing now. Even though Kyouko had done nothing to deserve it. Or anything. Touko did.

“Togami-kun,” she said.

“Hm?” was all he said.

“Last night,” she started, and he lifted his gaze. She paused, but he didn’t interrupt, so she elaborated. “When me and Touko-san were on our way to your room...”

He didn’t say anything and no anger clouded over his features, his atmosphere far too calm. His eyes pierced Kyouko, and warmth flooded across her face.

“... she said some things that could be considered inappropriate,” Kyouko was forced to say.

“I heard,” he replied, and she blinked.

For the last eight hours, she had been almost torturing herself with the fact that he knew. That he must have known, judging by how he had called out for Touko, aware that she was close enough to hear him.

What surprised Kyouko wasn’t him confirming that he knew, but how he then fell silent and returned his attention to his phone.

Like it was no big deal.

Her eyebrows didn’t shoot up in surprise, but lowered as she frowned.

“Are you not angry with her?” she asked.

He furrowed his brow.

“Touko won’t do it again,” he assured Kyouko, and he had the nerve to continue using his phone.

She squared her shoulders. “That’s not exactly what I’m getting at, Togami-kun, though I do appreciate your reassurance. She’s your wife. It’s inappropriate. You should be angry at her.”

Byakuya set his phone onto the table.

“I don’t remember appointing you charge of my feelings. If you must know, when you were gone, I questioned her about it. Touko won’t do it again, so you don’t need to hound me on this,” he said. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.

Kyouko balled her hands into fists against the table. No one could be this infuriating unintentionally.

“You’re just going to sweep this under the rug?” she asked, and though she didn’t shout, he shamefully coaxed into raising her voice even if only by one or two levels.

His head slumped forward and he stared at her full-on. “List a price and I will see to it that you’re compensated swiftly.”

Okay, admittedly, that caught her off guard and her breathing suspended for a split second. The sensation passed and her eyes narrowed as she resumed glaring at him.

“Again, that is appreciated, but you’re missing the point. How can you be so indifferent about this?” she asked. “Some would call what she said ‘cheating’, and you don’t care?”

Emotion creased his face.

“What makes you feel qualified to lecture me on my relationship with Touko?” he snapped with an underlying roar, not quite yelling. She had got a rise out of him. That made them even.

They leaned toward the other.

“Honestly, just because you’re staying here, it doesn’t mean you’re an expert on my life,” said Byakuya in a restrained tone, gritting his teeth. “I spoke with her. Do you really want the fine details of what her and I discussed?”

Kyouko did, actually, but she never got to voice this, because the door creaked open and her breath slipped out of her mouth.

“W-What’s going on?” asked Touko in the doorway. The other two whipped their heads around. Touko squeaked and gave a jolt. Unlike the other two, she had nightwear on: a purple satin dress, ruffled at the edges with thin shoulder straps. Of the four that Kyouko had seen her wear so far, this was one of Kyouko’s favourites.

Byakuya averted his eyes first and straightened up. “Nothing important.”

Touko meekly seated herself opposite Kyouko. Her deposition seemed nothing out of the ordinary despite last night, leading Kyouko to wonder if she had been too sensitive about the incident. Kyouko masked herself with a blank face, but thoughts pawed at her like a dog trying to entice its owner to open the back door.

No one spoke. A maid brought breakfast, and silence was maintained for some time during the meal. Breakfasts tended to be light, consisting mostly of tartines and a combination of cereal, pastry, cheese and yogurt.

So far, they had eaten a traditional Japanese breakfast twice.

“Is Aloysius not back yet?” Touko finally asked, scooping up some strawberry yogurt.

“He’s still on leave,” replied Byakuya.

Kyouko hadn’t met Aloysious officially, glimpsing him once at their graduation from Hope’s Peak when Makoto explained that he was Byakuya’s personal butler. Thinking about it, she had yet to see him in the manor.

“Is he ill?” asked Kyouko.

“Yes,” said Byakuya. He sipped coffee and put down his cup after. Kyouko pressed her lips together and said nothing, dipping her croissant into some hot chocolate.

The rest of the meal passed with minimal conversation, consisting of requests to maids for berry compote and another cup of coffee. Though Kyouko permitted the lull, she didn’t forget what had been said, both before and after Touko arrived, determined to receive answers that satisfied her.

Byakuya and Touko rose at the same time. Kyouko followed them out. He headed off one way while Touko retreated in the opposite direction. Presented with the choice of one or the other, Kyouko pursued the latter, who might shed light on Byakuya’s demeanour and perhaps give an apology for the previous night. Hopefully, their midnight meetings had budded something akin to friendship.

“Touko-san!” Kyouko called out when both of them were in the corridor that contained Touko’s bedroom.

Up ahead, Touko flinched, her hand jerking away from the door that she had been a second away from opening.

“W-What is it?” asked Touko. “How long have you been there?”

“Could we talk?” said Kyouko, ignoring the second question completely.

Touko hesitated, biting on her lip, torn between shooing Kyouko away and welcoming her in. Two weeks ago, she would have been waved her off without a second thought.

Her shoulders fell and she said, “Come in.”

Kyouko padded into the bedroom after Touko. Across the stretch of ornate carpet of earthly reds was a four-poster bed, with twisted pencil posts decked with sleek dark purple curtains. A white and green bouquet sat on the side table beside the bed. The vase held green roses, them being the most common in the arrangement, and a few white alstroemerias among other flowers that Kyouko didn’t recognise, even when she got a clearer view of them as Touko led Kyouko toward the bed.

At the bed, Touko turned and walked over to what appeared to be a scaled down model of a city created from stacks of books and manuscripts. They sat on and surrounded a desk that had incredible sturdiness, with legs that didn’t curve and bow under the weight pushing down on it and collapse. Touko rotated the lone chair parked there and sat down.

“You can sit on the bed,” said Touko, motioning to the bed a few paces behind Kyouko. “Just don’t crease the covers. Heh... It’s worth more than your life.”

It could very well have been. The room even smelled expensive, of sandalwood and lavender, earthy and slightly sweet. Kyouko perched on the edge of the bed, her hands over her knees. Though the bedroom had a couch that matched the colour scheme of the bed, Touko deliberately chose to position the two of them as she did.

“W-Well?” said Touko, wringing her hands, staring down at her lap. “You wanted to talk, so talk.”

For much of the morning, Kyouko had been resolute in making sure this conversation happened, yet now that the opportunity had arrived, words fluttered around Kyouko’s mind rather than out of her.

Kyouko’s face tensed. She swallowed something sickly and said, “Did you sleep well last night?”

Touko met her gaze.

“I did,” said Touko.

A pause, and then Touko grimaced, looking away briefly, but she forced her eyes back.

“Let’s skip the formalities. Are you planning on interrogating me?” asked Touko. Kyouko breathed in, but she didn’t get the chance to speak. The pitch of Touko’s voice climbed. “I told you that it’s all a blur to me, and my alter took over! I went to get drinks while B-Byakuya spoke to Sugawara. Ugh, I hadn’t even wanted to leave them... but I did. What if... What if the assassin shot my darling?”

Her face seemed on the verge of tearing in two as she pulled on her hair.

She didn’t wait for someone else to answer her question. “He would be... d-d... d...”

Kyouko’s eyes widened for a second. Touko seemed to be glitching on the last word, and she didn’t look up as Kyouko approached her. For a few moments, Kyouko just peered down at her, but then she braved the gap between them and touched Touko’s upper arm.

That broke Touko out of her trance. She stared up at Kyouko, her eyes round.

“You’ve said enough,” said Kyouko. Touko appeared to agree, for she gave a vague nod and stopped spluttering, but she continued to tremble. Kyouko waited for Touko to calm down some more before talking again. “I’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise. Not just as a detective, but as a friend too. A friend of you and Togami-kun.”

“Huh?” Touko jerked her head. She sniffled, but she didn’t seem to be crying. “Where... Where is this coming from?”

The light snuffed out in Touko’s eyes. Her face scrunched.

“Are you trying to steal him away from me? Is that it?” Touko snarled.

Kyouko pulled back her hand. “No, I - ”

“Has that been your motive all along? I see, s-so that’s what you were talking about before I came to breakfast,” Touko sneered. “You were trying to seduce him.”

“That’s not it,” started Kyouko, but Touko interrupted.

“J-Just because you’ve got a pretty face and huge tits, that doesn’t mean you have a chance with him!” Touko spat, despite the relationship that built between them during all those quiet nights prior, when neither bickered and could enjoy conversation just as much as any silence that settled between them. “B-Byakuya only has eyes for me, understand? If you... t-try anything with him... h-he’ll tell me and you’ll be burned at the stake!”

She jabbed her finger toward the door. “Get out!”

Kyouko’s breathing hitched and she scrambled to maintain her composure, barely succeeding. “T-Touko-san, it’s not - ”

But Touko had covered her ears, closed her eyes and began yapping, “No, no, no!” and she wouldn’t stop until Kyouko cast her eyes to the floor and left despite the hypocrisy of what Touko said.

* * *

 

Touko didn’t come to lunch, though Kyouko wasn’t eager to see her again. A place at the table had been set out for Touko anyway. Byakuya was there, and around him and Kyouko floated some staff that she didn’t know all the names of yet, as they preferred to slink away when spotted on their duties rather than stay in sight and chat. Kyouko brushed the tongs of her fork against a roasted pork chop, already full without so much as licking the charcutière sauce on the meat.

Her fork drifted over to the garlic roasted potatoes, but they were equally unappetizing.

Byakuya noticed and stuck up his nose. “Is there something disagreeable with your lunch?”

“I’m not hungry,” she said.

He tilted his head very slightly to one side.

“Breakfast wasn’t very filling,” he said. “And you’re rather thin, so I would advise you try to eat some of it.”

Kyouko wasn’t in the mood to dwell on what might have been a rare show of concern from him.

“Touko-san isn’t here,” she noted.

Byakuya swirled his glass of wine and shrugged. “Why point that out? It’s not like she hasn’t missed any meal times since you came here. She has probably lost track of the time, that’s all. When she writes, she enters a zone that is best not to disturb her from. Even I cannot penetrate it right away.”

He turned to a nearby maid, a girl with broad shoulders and short, dirty blond hair, who didn’t seem that much younger than them, and waved his hand.

“You. Take a tray to Touko’s room,” he instructed.

The maid bowed, then hurried into the kitchen, returned with a tray, placed Touko’s lunch onto it and slipped away. Kyouko toyed with her food, letting some more silence pass between them.

“So you haven’t seen her since this morning?” she asked.

“This morning? No.” His eyes flicked up from his lunch. “... Why do you ask?”

She put down her fork and laced her fingers together.

“Curiosity,” she simply said.

Byakuya squinted.

Kyouko added, “Also, I haven’t forgotten about our conversation from this morning, Togami-kun.”

“Hm, what was that about again?” he drawled.

Stay professional, Kyouko.

“About Touko’s unfiltered talk,” she said. “You told me that you spoke to her, but she still commented on my appearance in an unsavoury way after breakfast. I don’t appreciate it.”

At least, Touko had commented in that way about Kyouko’s breasts. ‘Pretty face’ had been relatively tame, but that didn’t make Kyouko feel any less weird about it. In a way, it was worse.

She expected him to roll his eyes or heave a patronisingly loud sigh, but he looked at her seriously.

“I won’t ask you to tolerate it,” he said, idly holding a fork with its tongs embedded in a roast potato. “Touko can be very sexual - ” a word that Kyouko couldn’t imagine him saying - “in how she talks, and like you said, unfiltered, and it bothers me at times... I often tell her off for it. But it is in part due to several events in her past. Some people respond by becoming repulsed by their experience or experiences, others go the opposite direction, and many have a complex relationship with it all.”

Kyouko blinked. He continued talking, calm.

“Touko can find it difficult to judge where to draw the line between what’s appropriate and what isn’t. I will talk to her again, tonight, and get her to apologise. Just... bear it in mind, and bear in mind that what happened was incredibly stressful for her. Not just at the party, but before. Genocider Syo didn’t come to be for no reason.”

Shadows under his eyes suggested that it wasn’t stressful for just Touko.

“... Thank you,” Kyouko said, eyebrows raised. Comparing how he had acted now to his behaviour at the beginning of Hope’s Peak, he had come a long way, and her stomach rolled with guilt as she remembered what she did the previous night after she returned to her room, what she imagined.

Byakuya didn’t need to know about it. No one did.

She hardened her expression. “Your work must keep you very busy.”

“It does,” he replied curtly. He adjusted his hold on his fork so it was firmer. “Lunch isn’t the time for discussing work matters, so you know. Eat.”

Again with the insistence that she eat. She tackled her meal again, and managed to consume a quarter of her lunch before she pushed the plate away. It scraped as it travelled, and Byakuya wrinkled his nose at the noise.

He finished his last few mouthfuls and rose, twisting his body as he prepared to head off.

“Togami-kun,” she said, reaching a hand toward him.

Byakuya turned his head toward her.

“I would like to discuss some things with you, if it’s possible,” she said.

Her conversation with Touko had been exasperating and though she didn’t get the apology that she felt she deserved, she did learn something interesting about the incident at the party and that was why she was there in the first place. She puffed out her chest, refusing to let Touko get to her anymore. This was more important. This was her job. Her livelihood.

“Unless you are you too busy?” said Kyouko. He frowned.

“I don’t remember scheduling an interview for today,” he said.

“You didn’t, but I would like to get to the bottom of some things... as I am sure you do as well.”

“I’m a busy man, Kirigiri.”

He glanced away.

“However,” he added, fixing his eyes on her again, “I’m also excellent at time management, so I can spare an hour if need be.”

The last of what he said ended with a smirk, but it didn’t live for long. Keeping his chin on his hand, Byakuya used his other hand to point a finger at her plate.

“Eat half,” he said. “You’re doing a disservice to my servants by leaving so much.”

If only to keep him in... maybe not good spirits, but at least to prevent him from being in bad spirits, Kyouko humoured him. Her appetite was still teetering on the edge of nonexistence, and him watching her didn’t entice Kyouko to eat any quicker, but by blocking him out, she managed to fulfil his demand, the acidic sauce helping her cut through the pork fat.

Kyouko’s cutlery rattled against her plate when she finished, and she got to her feet. A maid with orange hair tied into a ponytail rushed forward to take her plate, and Kyouko only started to register what happened after the maid had slinked into the kitchen. She stared at the door that the maid disappeared through, but averted her gaze when Byakuya cleared his throat.

Byakuya was looking at another door, one that led out to the corridor. “Bring a cup of luwak and a cup of hot chocolate to my office.”

The blonde maid, who had returned from delivering Touko’s lunch sometime earlier, curtsied.

“I would prefer royal milk tea,” said Kyouko. “Please.”

They left the dining room together. Byakuya offered no conversation starter, and not desperate for any small talk, Kyouko quietly soaked in the paintings that they passed by. During previous trips through, she had paused to study the occasional piece of art, but usually concentrated on the other end of the corridor carpeted royal blue and with white walls.

Paintings of scenery received only brief looks, while those of people had Kyouko turn her head. The first two pieces depicted Byakuya and Touko, one where they stood close and one where he posed with an arm around his wife’s waist. In the latter, Touko gave a gentle smile, the only exception to the abundance of steely expressions that dominated the manor’s art.

Kyouko wondered if the artist drew them from a photograph or if they modeled for them. She asked.

“For some, we pose, and for others, the artist uses a reference,” he said. He waved a hand. “Obviously, it’s a lot more convenient if we provide photographs, but I find that the finished products never quite capture our images to the same standard as those which we’re physically present for.”

In all honestly, Kyouko couldn’t tell them apart, but she nodded politely to keep the peace.

At his office, they adopted the same places as last time, him at his desk and her on the other side, on a leather wingback armchair. She pulled out her notebook from between her belt and her body.

Byakuya offered a pen from his pocket, having presumably noted that Kyouko’s outfit didn’t have any pockets. Normally, she stored one in her boot, but she was wearing uwabaki, which didn’t leave much room for a pen.

Kyouko plucked the pen from his hold and sat back in her chair. He did the same.

“I spoke to Touko-san earlier,” said Kyouko, “and she told me that when she went to retrieve drinks for the both of you, you were talking to one of the victims.”

A spasm quivered in one of his cheeks.

“That’s correct,” he said evenly, arms folded over his chest.

“What was his name?”

“Osamu Sugawara.”

Kyouko recognised the name, and also knew that while the other victims were sniped in the main hall by a certain rifle, belonging to the hitman who was caught at the scene, Osamu had been murdered by a different kind of gun in a different room. A semi-automatic pistol. Most likely one concealed by someone attending the party.

How either shooter got in with a gun, however, was a mystery outshadowed only by how one of the shooters escaped.

Her glove creaked as she balled a fist under her chin.

“Why wouldn’t you mention that you talked to him?” she asked. “It seems incredibly relevant... You might have been the last person to see him before he died.”

Byakuya’s gaze was sharp enough to cut. “It wasn’t a pleasant conversation. He was drunk. And even if he wasn’t, it still requires a strenuous effort to put up with him.”

She jotted this down. Byakuya peered over at her notebook, reading upside down.

“Osamu Sugawara...” Kyouko swished her pen. “A friend of your father’s, right?”

He looked up. “Yes.”

“Your father didn’t attend your anniversary party, yet his friend did. Did he know you well, then?”

Byakuya shifted in his seat very slowly, and she wouldn’t have noticed if her eyes weren’t fixed firmly onto him. He didn’t break eye contact.

“I knew him, someone who I remind you wasn’t the only victim, from a young age.” Byakuya eyed her curiously. “Are you trying to find a connection between the deceased?”

Kyouko wrote down more information seamlessly.

“One gunman found a way above the ceiling and picked off the victims, who were in different places around the room, so each victim must have been a deliberate choice. I have access to their history and backgrounds but you would be able to provide a unique insight into them as human beings.” She paused her hand and watched his face. “I believe the perpetrators are somehow linked to the Togami Conglomerate, like the victims.”

His face didn’t crack.

“Each of the six who died were affiliated with the conglomerate in some way or another. Sugawara-san was apparently an old friend of your father’s, and so were Ikari-san and Shiba-san, and the other three were business partners of yours,” said Kyouko. “Did you know Ikari-san and Shiba-san?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“How well?”

“I met them not long after I became a teenager, once I started becoming more directly involved in the conglomerate’s work,” he said. “It’s all professional.”

“But not Sugawara-san?”

“What?” he said.

“You knew him before that?” she clarified.

“Yes. But it’s all professional.” Before she could say anything, he added, “Listen, if you want to know what they’re like, you should try to contact my father. He knew them better than I did.”

Kyouko already tried but Byakuya’s father, who these days had taken on more of an advisor role, turned out to be more elusive than his son, and she only ever got as far as a secretary full of vague promises to call Kyouko back, but she scribbled down what Byakuya had said. She brushed some hair out of her face.

“Do you have any photographs of them?” she asked.

“You’re not here to write my biography. I already have someone doing that,” he snapped. Kyouko quirked her brow. He clicked his tongue. “There are several albums somewhere in the library’s storage room, if you’re that desperate. Try there. Be warned, though, that there are documents in there not ready for the public eye, so if you read them, it’s at your own risk.”

She hesitated.

“Thank you.” Kyouko brought her pen to the top of the next page. “Next, I would like you to talk me through the period between Touko-san leaving to get drinks and Sugawara-san being shot. What did you talk about? How much time elapsed between you and him parting ways? It can’t have been very long, if Touko-san only went to get drinks.”

“He spoke a few sentences about his holiday and pigged out on the buffet... and then went and died in a side room. That’s all I know,” Byakuya said. He nudged his glasses up. “Also, the drinks were quite far from where we were.”

Kyouko recorded that down.

“Soon after, Sugawara-san was killed in one shot, in the head,” she said softly. “His body was found last.”

Byakuya didn’t reply. She regarded him with a level stare.

“And during the shooting...”

“... the building was put in lock down,” he finished for her. “All exits were blocked as soon as we realised what was happening. However, I was taken to safety by Pennyworth, while Genocider Syo was escorted out with Naegi’s sister. Everyone else was forced to stay put, everyone was accounted for and the building was thoroughly searched. No one left.”

“I see,” she said. He crossed one leg over the other.

She had more to say, but decided to save it, having got the impression that she overstayed her welcome.

“That will do for now,” she said, and she rose and slipped her notebook between her belt and body. Byakuya grabbed his laptop from the side of his desk and pulled it toward himself. He opened it and turned the power on.

Kyouko could hear him tapping rapidly against the keys as she walked over to the door. She opened it but didn’t leave yet.

“Togami-kun,” she said, looking over her shoulder.

His fingers didn’t falter, darting across his keyboard, and Kyouko turned the rest of her body around to face him.

“If you see Touko-san, tell her that I hope she is doing well,” she said.

He hesitated and then rewarded Kyouko with eye contact.

“I will, if I remember,” he said, and he dragged his gaze back onto his laptop.

* * *

 

Byakuya didn’t come to dinner and not only did Touko miss it as well, she didn’t join Kyouko for hot drinks that night.

Kyouko sat alone in the dining room. Her hot chocolate and marshmallows tasted as sour as they had been sweet before today. There was a good chance that Touko had not yet gone to sleep, so she poured the rest of her drink down the sink and searched for her.

Time alone was not something that Kyouko was unfamiliar with, as a loner. Other people were often too noisy for her liking and being around them for long periods was draining. When she wasn’t working, like interviewing people in the manor or elsewhere, or poring over evidence and confidential files in the library that were not allowed to be taken away, she pottered about in her room, read the last book that Touko recommended to her or walked around the non-restricted parts of the manor, trying to memorise the layout. She didn’t mind solitude.

However, she felt like she should try to make amends with Touko. Clear up the misunderstanding from earlier, now that Touko had been given enough time to cool down, and maybe receive that apology that Byakuya promised. And maybe, just maybe, she did enjoy her company. Most of the time. Sometimes. More than she expected.

Though Kyouko hadn’t totally figured out the maze that was the manor, Touko had taken Kyouko to her room enough times that Kyouko could get there by herself. Keeping her footsteps light, Kyouko hurried over to the section of the manor where she suspected she would find Touko, using her phone’s torch application to light her way.

Several paces into a corridor, she heard a low rumble of conversation. Kyouko hastened over to the door that the sound originated from.

“... Do you need me to fetch you some of your tablets, darling?” came Touko’s voice.

Tablets?

“I’ll be fine,” was Byakuya’s gruff response. Kyouko crept over and held her breath as she moved her head closer to the door.

“You said that they reduce the length of time you’re in REM sleep,” said Touko. “And that’s when you dream, right? So if you don’t want to have those dreams...”

Dreams?

“I said I’ll be fine,” he interjected.

Silence followed, almost ringing between Kyouko’s ears. When it seemed like they weren’t going to speak again, Kyouko started to turn away.

The bed creaked.

“Could I,” this was Touko, “at least help you fall asleep some other way?”

Kyouko paused.

“Yes,” Byakuya mumbled, and the bed creaked several times more. Confusion creased Kyouko’s brow, but the tension flushed out at the sound of groaning from inside.

She marched off in the direction of her own room. As soon as Kyouko shut the door behind herself, she switched off the torch application on her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found the one that she wanted, which she tapped before holding the device to her ear. While she waited, she paced back and forth.

Then a click. Connected.

“Hello?” asked Makoto.

“Naegi-kun,” greeted Kyouko. She sat on the edge of her bed.

“Kirigiri-san?” He didn’t completely smother his yawn, and he must have deduced from her calm tone that she wasn’t in any immediate danger because he added, “You know, I’m always happy to help you out, but are you sure this couldn’t wait until morning?”

Her knees pressed together and her first attempt to speak came out silent. She tried again.

“Naegi-kun, my investigation has almost ground to a halt,” she admitted, peering down at the carpet.

This could probably have waited until morning, but Makoto woke up more and piped up, “Don’t worry. You’re the best detective that I know. You’re definitely going to solve it, Kirigiri-san, and I bet anyone else in your position would be struggling more than you right now. Hope’s Peak wouldn’t have scouted you if they didn’t think you were the best in your field.”

Kyouko smiled weakly.

“Thank you, but I feel like there is a wall between me and those other two that not even my abilities can crack,” she said. She scraped some teeth against her bottom lip, then her top one, and straightened up. “You have a talent that Hope’s Peak could not scout you for... befriending others. If you were to give me some advice, then I would be able to obtain more information from them.”

“You shouldn’t try to befriend them for something like that,” said Makoto.

“I’m here on business,” she replied indifferently.

“But they’re also our friends,” he told her, reproachful but not unkind. “I know they’re pretty antisocial, but they’re good people deep down. I’m sure if you spent some time with them, maybe have a drink or two in a relaxed environment, then you’d see that and they’d see that you’re a good person who they can depend on and open up to. Just... be a good friend, and they’ll come around.”

Kyouko thought over what he said.

“Kirigiri-san?” said Makoto, probably unsure if Kyouko had meant to hang up but forgotten to.

“... I see,” she said. “Thank you, Naegi-kun. I apologise for calling you so late. I doubt I would have been able to sleep, but after talking to you, I think I can do so now.”

“No problem,” replied Makoto, and a yawn shook his voice before he could even think to suppress it. “Sorry. And I’m sorry me and Komaru can’t give you any more help on the case as witnesses. We didn’t see any of the gunmen. Just...”

A body or two.

“It’s fine,” she said.

“Okay. Well... Good night, Kirigiri-san.”

“Good night,” she said with a small smile that she hoped Makoto somehow knew about. She hung up, flung her phone to the other side of the bed and remained sitting on the edge of her bed for a while longer.

In the morning, she woke up with a new message on her phone from Touko. It read, ‘I shouldn’t have said all those things. Also, I’ll try some of your hot chocolate tonight, so don’t use it all out of spite before we meet up.’

Kyouko read it a few times.


	3. Available

“Did you sleep well?” asked Kyouko, lifting her gaze from the cup of green tea cradled in her hands. Touko and Byakuya sat opposite her, eating identical breakfasts consisting of egg omelette, salmon, leek and potato miso soup, and salad.

Staff darted about like fireflies. They didn’t seem to be actively watching those at the table, but as soon as anyone indicated that they needed something or had finished eating, somebody would pop up beside them, ready. Currently, Kyouko had barely eaten her breakfast, with only part of her omelette missing and her salmon fillets in the process of being consumed. She intended to eat more, but that could wait. For now, she chewed slowly, focused on Byakuya, waiting for an answer from him.

He swallowed some omelette. Touko blinked blearily and wrinkled her nose, like imitating a bunny rabbit.

“I don’t have any interest in platitudes,” he replied, and with barely a pause to say that, he continued eating.

Kyouko quirked her brow. “It’s a genuine question, Togami-kun. After the shooting, you haven’t wavered in your work... I would understand if the stress had a negative impact on your health.”

Byakuya almost smirked.

“Hmph... A lot of other people would require some kind of recovery period. If you really wish to know, I slept well,” he said with shadows under his eyes at least a month old.

His eyes flitted to one of the four bowls surrounding Kyouko’s plate of salmon fillets. Specifically, the bowl with her omelette, one small slice cut out of it. He trained his gaze on her.

“Is there something wrong with the omelette?” he asked.

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” she replied. “Though, it does taste quite strongly of fish.”

“I noticed that as well. The chef must have used more katsuobushi than usual, but that doesn’t make it inedible,” he said.

Kyouko set down her cup of tea and tackled her soup. This breakfast was a lot bigger than the French style ones, and bigger than she would have liked, but she needed Byakuya in a good mood if she wanted him to consider her invitation for a get-together, so after she finished the soup, she ate all of the omelette.

If she wanted to begin the arduous process of convincing Byakuya to join her for a drink, as per Makoto’s suggestion last night, she needed to get started as soon as possible.

“Togami-kun,” she said. She could do this.

“Hm?” he went, about to take in a forkful of salad.

“I was wondering if you and Touko-san would be interested in joining me for one evening,” she said.

Touko hesitated, then narrowed her eyes.

“Why?” asked Byakuya, studying Kyouko.

“Just for a get-together,” said Kyouko, idly swaying her fork.

“Fine,” said Byakuya, and he picked up his cup of coffee.

“It would be...” Kyouko was midway through stroking her hair with her free hand and froze. “You will?”

She had mentally prepared herself for a week of attempting to persuade Byakuya and Touko, fearing that she might have to resort to bribes or worse, sweet talk, but she seemed to have obtained his approval on the very first morning after her conversation on the phone with Makoto. 

“I hate repeating myself,” Byakuya replied. He set down his cup. “Yes. We will join you for a ‘get-together’ at some point. If you ask me again, I will change my answer.”

He lowered his gaze, seeming thoughtful.

“Yes, why not...? It might be pleasant to have some respite,” he added, mostly to himself.

Of everyone in their class back at Hope’s Peak, Byakuya and Touko were definitely in the top five for most asocial. Kyouko would even have gone as far to say that they were in the top two, but she couldn’t have been trailing far behind them. She should have been grateful that she won Byakuya over so easily, and she supposed that part of her was, but her victory was made as bitter as fruit from a terminalia chebula tree by the idea that he might have his own agenda for accepting her request that she didn’t know about yet.

Her grip on her fork stayed firm and her guard stayed up.

“But you will have to wait until the end of the week, as I don’t have any time to fritter away on little get-togethers before then. I’ll be away from the manor entirely until the weekend,” he said. 

Though she probably knew about this already, Touko wilted beside him. His hand drifted over to his croissant.

“Tell me, though, how do you plan to entertain us?” he asked Kyouko. He picked up the croissant.

Touko, her hair unrestrained from any braids, fidgeted with a strand of it, also looking at Kyouko.

“... Talk?” suggested Kyouko. “And drink?”

Byakuya rolled his eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

“You drink, don’t you, Togami-kun? Wine, at least,” she said with a frown.

And they were all over twenty, so they wouldn’t be breaking any laws.

“... I do drink, but sitting around just doing that is rather dull, wouldn’t you agree?” he said. A grin tugged at his lips. “Come to our room on Saturday at six. I have something in mind.”

Ah. He did have his own agenda after all.

After breakfast, Kyouko left the other two to their own devices and set up camp at one of the tables in the Togami Manor Library. Whoever was responsible for the upkeep of this room was as diligent as the hands on a wrist watch. The varnished furnishing and leather armchairs all showed off a sheen of light, and so far, she hadn’t seen any dust on either of the two floors, the spiraling stair rail and not on any of the bookshelves with their compact innards. 

She rummaged through the storage room at the back of the Togami Manor Library for the photo albums that Byakuya told her would be there the day before. Her intention with the photographs wasn’t to find anything that would immediately solve the case, but to give her some insight on the victims. See if they appeared with anyone a lot. See if they stopped appearing with anyone a lot. The perpetrators must have had some kind of connection to the Togami Conglomerate or were hired by someone who did. Besides, other than wait for interviews with witnesses, she currently didn’t have much else to do for the case.

Hope’s Peak also had a storage room attached to its library, but it hadn’t had anything worth her attention. One might have expected a place as powerful and influential as Hope’s Peak to have access to top secret files never released to the public, but it didn’t. Well, nothing too secret, like information about a president’s assassination that would only be published thirty years after the event. Kyouko supposed that the school would have to be run by a mastermind who had enveloped the world in despair to get their hands on anything life-changing.

Byakuya’s storage room succeeded Hope’s Peak’s in size and wealth, with shelves stuffed full of files and more boxes littering the floor. After twenty minutes of rummaging, she found a box of photo albums near the back wall. In the album at the top of the pile in the box, on the first page, was a young girl who looked to be related to Byakuya. She shut the album and carried the box over to her table to investigate them in better lighting.

Four albums resided in the box, all black with a bumpy texture. Kyouko took out the album on top of the pile and opened it to the first page again.

The girl stared up at her, wearing a waistcoat and shorts, approximately eleven years old.

On the next double spread of pages, four photographs of the same girl had been tucked into the cellophane, two on each side. Kyouko examined them closer and wondered if she was Shinobu before Shinobu got into an undisclosed accident that cost her an arm and an eye. In one, she sat on a motionless swing. For another, she posed with a violin, and in the third, she was seated on an armchair. Then, with much shorter hair, she stood between a man and a woman that Kyouko recognised to be Byakuya’s parents.

That couldn’t be right. Kyouko narrowed her eyes. Why would Shinobu be in a photograph with Byakuya’s parents? Shinobu and Byakuya didn’t have the same mother. She looked at them again and realised that it was because she mistook the girl for someone else. It wasn’t a young Shinobu, but a young Byakuya. His hair, which passed his shoulders in three of the photographs, was tied back in a ponytail, while in the photograph with his parents, most of it had been cut off.

With his parents, with shorter hair, he seemed fourteen or fifteen. 

Kyouko continued through the album, which didn’t take very long. There were a number of gaps, like someone removed photographs for whatever reason, and some contained just empty space on entire pages. By the back page, she concluded that all of these photographs had been taken by a professional. None were candid. She opened her case file and spread out face shots of the victims. This time when she went through the album, she matched the faces together. Ikari and Shiba appeared in a group photo with Byakuya and his father. There were a lot of men that Kyouko didn’t recognise. The other victims didn’t appear at all, which Kyouko didn’t deem too odd, but Osamu had apparently been an old friend of Byakuya’s father, yet he didn’t appear at all.

Before she progressed onto the next album, she got out her phone and snapped a photograph of Ikari and Shiba with Byakuya and his father. Then she set the album aside and continued her investigation.

It soon became clear that all of these albums contained professional photographs or clippings from newspapers, even the few images of a baby who must have been Byakuya. Kyouko wanted to say that they were sent out en masse, hence why they were all so serious, but she couldn’t think who they would go to. As far as she was aware, Byakuya didn’t have any cousins. The photographs of Byakuya printed onto newspaper were easy enough to understand the existence of. They were accompanied by articles detailing one of Byakuya’s achievements.

Like here, he won a chess tournament, and here, he solved a case that had been cold for fifteen years.

After some thought, she figured that the other photographs might have been taken to show off to business partners at dinner parties. Kyouko had the feeling that they weren’t taken with the intention of looking back on cosily as a family unit.

She tapped her fingers against the table. There weren’t nearly as many photographs as she would have liked.

These couldn’t be the only photographs. The only people that Kyouko could think might have more were Byakuya’s mother, Byakuya himself, Touko or Aloysius. Carefully, she piled the albums into their box and returned it to the same spot she got it from. For a while, she stood by the box, her hand tucked under her chin. At least once, all the victims appeared in a photograph with Byakuya. All except Osamu, who didn’t appear at all.

Kyouko eventually left the room.

* * *

 

Neither Touko nor Byakuya attended lunch, but Kyouko wasn’t surprised. During breakfast, Byakuya mentioned that he wouldn’t be in the manor until Saturday, and Touko didn’t attend every meal. As Kyouko ate pieces of korokke, which contained carrots and shiitake mushrooms, she went through her options again, still determined to acquire more photographs and insight. With Aloysius and Byakuya absent for the time being, she eliminated them as options, leaving the staff, Touko and Byakuya’s mother.

To call Byakuya’s mother, Kyouko would need to obtain her phone number. His mother didn’t live in the manor, but unlike Aloysius, she wasn’t ill to the best of Kyouko’s knowledge. Or anywhere near as old. Kyouko had his mother’s email address, but Kyouko had so far received no reply other than a brief witness statement.

She ate her korokke quickly and if there had been more on her plate, she would have eaten them too in her distracted haste. Before she tried to get hold of Byakuya’s mother, Kyouko decided to check with Touko in case she had or at least knew where Kyouko could locate other photographs or any personal information about the victims. The latter was unlikely, as Touko mentioned near the beginning of Kyouko’s visit that she didn’t know them particularly well, but it was worth a shot.

Assuming Touko was in her bedroom, Kyouko headed there. However, a knock on the door elicited no response. Neither did a round of them, or another. 

Her brow furrowed. She opened the door and poked her head into the room.

There was no one there. Kyouko stayed in the doorway and surveyed the room. A stout, glass bottle caught her attention on the bedside table. It was rust-coloured and marked with a large, white label. It looked like the kind of bottle that medicine came in. She thought back to the conversation that she overheard the previous night.

They might have been sleeping tablets.

Kyouko lingered for a little longer but at the sound of footsteps, which her sensitive hearing let her perceive earlier than most other people, she stepped back and closed the door.

“Are you trying to steal my job?” asked a voice from behind Kyouko.

She widened her eyes and spun around, instinctively positioning her arms into a fighting stance.

A woman with bright orange hair stared at her, armed with a feather duster. More eye catching than her hair was the sky blue dress and pristine apron she wore that screamed ‘housewife’.

“Pardon?” said Kyouko, who hadn’t expected the culprit to arrive so quickly.

The woman lowered the duster and pressed her fists against her hips. “If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought you were about to go nosey around Togami-sama’s bedroom.”

Kyouko averted her gaze and scratched behind her ear.

“I was looking for Touko-san,” said Kyouko.

“Oh, do you need her for something?” asked the woman, looking less like she intended to attack Kyouko with her duster. Not much less though.

“You might be able to help me, actually,” said Kyouko. The woman tilted her head to one side. “Do you know where I might find some photo albums? Togami-kun directed me to some in the library’s storage room, but he must have more.”

“What do you want photos of?” asked the woman, shooting an odd look at Kyouko.

“Togami-kun and the victims at the party,” explained Kyouko. “I’m investigating the murders.”

“Oh, I knew that much. Otherwise, I’d have chased you out of the manor.” The woman scrunched her face. “Hm... I haven’t worked here for as long as some other people here, but I would think...”

She looked up at the ceiling and tapped herself on the cheek.

“... Pennyworth,” she then said, fixing her gaze onto Kyouko, and she followed up with a nod of conviction. “He might have some in his room. He’s Togami-sama’s head butler and was assigned to him all the way back when the guy was a baby. But he hasn’t been here since Togami-sama’s anniversary party, and his room is all locked up. Apparently, the whole ordeal brought on some heart problems.”

Her features clouded like a grey morning.

“I can’t blame him after all that happened,” the woman said softly. “Togami-sama’s been worried about him, but he’s too stubborn to admit it. Poor guy has so much on his plate right now.”

Never did Kyouko think that someone would refer to Byakuya as ‘poor’, even if they meant it by a different definition. But still. Kyouko retained this information for later.

The woman’s face hardened and she wagged her duster. “Togami-sama’s mother will probably have some photos. She helped raise Togami-sama. Ask nicely and she might send you what she has.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have her telephone number, would you?” asked Kyouko. “I’d like to talk to her too.”

“I don’t have her number on me, but I could nab it for you,” offered the woman, and then she paused. Her eyes narrowed. “Hey... why do you even need photos anyway? What have they got to do with your investigation?”

Kyouko folded her arms over her chest. 

“They might enlighten me on certain things. Please understand that I can’t say much else except Togami-kun has given me permission to see them,” said Kyouko.

Well, he had given permission for the albums in the storage room.

The woman fell for Kyouko’s poker face. “In that case, give me until after dinner, okay? I should come up with something by then. Now...”

She brandished her duster.

“... scat, you!”

And she chased Kyouko down the corridor.

* * *

 

Fortunately, the woman spared Kyouko in the next corridor, and they walked off in opposite directions. Unexpectedly helpful though the meeting with the maid was, Kyouko still hadn’t found Touko. Finding her wasn’t so important now that she had the prospect of talking to Byakuya’s mother, but after some hesitation in an empty corridor, she decided that she may as well locate her anyway. 

Touko wasn’t in her bedroom, so Kyouko set off to investigate other areas that she knew Touko to spend time in. She checked the dining room and the kitchen, but Touko was nowhere in sight. None of the chefs had seen her either. 

Next, she visited the manor library, in case Touko slipped in after Kyouko left.

“Are you here, Touko-san?” Kyouko called out. 

Her voice echoed. The only response.

Kyouko searched some more until a different maid gave her directions to Touko’s writing room. She knocked and waited.

Seconds later, the door opened, and a familiar face popped into view with a glare.

“Touko-san,” greeted Kyouko with cool professionalism.

The face in front of her darkened more.

“Bzzt! Wrong answer!” was hissed at Kyouko. 

She tensed, noting the long tongue hanging out.

“Ah. It’s you,” said Kyouko. Her chest became a tight cage. With the maid, she had taken on an offensive stance, but here, she went on the defensive. “Genocider Syo.”

“Great deduction skills there, Kirichoo,” said Syo, grinning for a moment. She flicked her tongue, keeping her narrowed eyes on Kyouko. “What the hell are you doing here? No, no. Let me guess.”

Kyouko really would have rather that Syo didn’t. Syo bent over and hitched up her skirt, revealing more of the leg that Kyouko knew she wore a holster of sharp scissors on, which prompted Kyouko to lift her heels off the floor in case she needed to dodge. 

Before the holster would come into view, Syo let her skirt fall without showing even a glimpse of leather.

“Ah... That’s right,” mumbled Syo. “I gave them to him.”

“Pardon?” Kyouko’s brow creased.

Syo’s head snapped up, but she didn’t straighten up.

“You shut your face!” Syo snarled. Now she straightened up. She pointed at Kyouko, who nearly crossed her eyes to look at Syo’s finger. “Listen, Sherlock Whore, if you’re here sleeping with our darling behind our backs, I’ll slice up your throat, cut out your uterus and disembowel you and use your intestines for piñata filling.”

Kyouko grimaced.

“None of that will be necessary. I’m here on work-related matters,” said Kyouko, which did nothing to relax Syo’s posture. She paused. “Actually, while you’re here, I would like to speak with you.”

“Huh?” Syo tipped her head to one side and showed her palms. “You turnin’ me in? Where’s my white knight? Did you already shove him into the back of your police car?”

“No. Togami-kun is away on business for a few days. I’m here investigating some murders that occurred at a party.”

“Oh!” Syo jerked her head back. “That! I didn’t do nothing!”

“I’m not ruling out suspects yet, but you are very low on my list,” said Kyouko. “You fronted while most of it happened. I want to ask you a few questions to try to piece together what happened.”

Syo brightened and poked herself in the cheeks with her index fingers. She tossed her head from side to side. “I never thought I’d be questioned as a witness! Why not? It could be fun!”

“Can we go inside?” asked Kyouko, referring to Touko’s writing room.

“It’ll be almost like the real thing!” Syo gushed, grinning widely.

Kyouko slipped past and heard Syo’s loud breathing behind her. Inside Touko’s writing room, bookcases lined up against one of the walls, and stacks of folders and more books made a model city across the floor and on two desks. Touko had mentioned needing a quiet place to write, permitting only Byakuya’s snoring as acceptable noise, so Kyouko gathered that Touko didn’t always write in the one room. A burst of ripe fruit mixed with floral scents entered Kyouko’s nose, too strong to not be artificial.

In total, the room homed three chairs. One was appointed to each desk, and the third, its wooden frame painted white, not varnished like the other two, resided in the opposite corner of the room to which the two desks were either side of. Syo danced around the books and as ungainly as she swerved, she didn’t knock anything over, and she slumped back onto the white chair. Kyouko strode over to one of the chairs by a desk in an unremarkable fashion, turned the chair around and sat down, facing Syo.

“Let’s start with what happened,” said Kyouko. She retrieved a small notepad from the breast pocket of her blouse and pulled a pen out from the spiral rings bounding the pages together. “What’s the first thing that you remember?”

“It was dark,” said Syo, kicking her legs, hands on her lap. “One of the bitches had locked us in a closet and my throat felt rough. I think our body was four years old, but I leave the counting and all that boring maths stuff to Gloomy.”

Kyouko frowned. “I don’t mean your life story. I mean about your anniversary party.”

“You mean their anniversary party,” said Syo, sobering. Her legs became still. “Me and my darling have our own anniversary. Lucky bastard... He gets two sets of presents. Well, he would if I spent any yen on him!”

She held her stomach and laughed that awful witch-laugh of hers.

“So you and Togami-kun...?” said Kyouko, adjusting her hold on her pen.

Syo folded her arms over her chest, uncharacteristically tight-lipped all of a sudden. 

“Oi, oi. I thought this was about the murders,” said Syo. 

“It was just a question,” replied Kyouko with a shrug. “Usually, you’re more than happy to discuss yourself in relation to Togami-kun.”

“Listen, Kirititty, sex is one thing, but feelings...” Syo pulled a face and slapped on a hostile front. “Listen, you ain’t my type at all! I only care about my white knight, so don’t try and see if I’m available!”

In an anime, a bead of sweat would have sprung onto the back of Kyouko’s head. 

“We’re getting sidetracked,” Kyouko said, and she didn’t know why she had let herself get distracted when usually she stayed focused on the task at hand. Whatever. Not every conversation was with a serial killer. “Please describe what happened at the party.”

Syo lolled her head back.

“Everyone was running about and screaming,” she recalled. “There was a dead guy near me. Like, not dying, but like, actually dead. Irreversibly dead. And I was like, what the hell? You know? I searched for my dearest Byakuya-sama but couldn’t find him, though I saw Omaru - ”

Makoto Naegi’s younger sister.

“ - and she was panicking. I grabbed her and lugged her toward an exit, only they’d blocked off all the exits, right? But then we got security up our asses because Gloomy’s married to Byakuya-sama, and we got escorted out. If I was on death row walking to the chamber, it’s exactly how I’d picture it.”

Kyouko jotted this all down. Well, not the comparison at the end, but the rest.

“Is it possible anyone could have escaped during this?” asked Kyouko.

Syo tilted her head to one side and scrunched her face in shrewd thought.

“Maybe,” she admitted. “But security kicked in pretty fast, ya know. And all I could think about was seeing my white knight again. I didn’t see him for a few hours, and I was ready to kill someone! People! A whole fucking room! When I pounced on him later, I could have had sex right there and then on the table. If only he hadn’t been so mopey, right?”

“He mentioned being evacuated by his butler,” said Kyouko, nose wrinkled.

“Whatever you say.” Syo gave her nose a quick pick. “I didn’t see them until much later, but it was a big ass hall. My darling is top priority so he’d have been out in seconds, probably.”

Kyouko wrote this down.

“We done now?” asked Syo.

“For now,” said Kyouko.

Syo rocked forward and jumped to her feet. She stretched up her arms and kept them straight as she lowered them.

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” said Syo, and once her arms had come all the way down, she relaxed them. “This room is a total dry zone! Seriously, stale bread has more moisture. I need my darling to rejuvenate me!”

She pressed her hands against her cheeks with almost childlike glee and skipped toward the door.

Kyouko lifted a hand. “Togami-kun is away until Saturday.”

That brought Syo to an abrupt stop at the door. Syo slowly turned her head, squinting.

“You serious?” she said. “Your face rarely changes, so I can’t tell if you’re shitting with me or not.”

“I am serious,” said Kyouko. “I even told you this earlier.”

After a few seconds of scrutinising Kyouko’s face, Syo hissed and slapped herself on the thigh.

“Rats! I’ll have to leave a memento in case Gloomy takes over before he returns,” she said, and she bounded out of the room.

When Syo’s footsteps faded out of Kyouko’s hearing, Kyouko heaved out a sigh.


	4. A Numbness

“Hello?”

“Is this Anastazja Togami?”

“Who is this?”

“I’m Kyouko Kirigiri.”

“Who?”

Kyouko, sitting on the short edge of her bed with her notebook and pen on her lap, shifted her position a little, but she didn’t become much more comfortable on the soft mattress.

“First, please confirm your identity,” said Kyouko, holding her phone to her ear.

The voice on the other end of the phone huffed.

“I am Anastazja Togami. You got through to my personal phone, somehow.”

“Thank you.” Kyouko carded her hair with her fingers. “A member of staff gave it to me. I’m the detective assigned to the case of the mass murder at your son and daughter-in-law’s anniversary party.”

“What is it that you want?” Anastazja clicked her tongue. “I sent you a witness statement via email. Did you delete it without reading it?”

“I read it,” said Kyouko with professional patience, “but that’s not exactly what I’m calling about.”

A pause.

“How well did you know the victims?” asked Kyouko.

The next pause was longer.

“I’ve met them,” stated Anastazja tersely.

“Enough to talk about the sort of people they were like?”

“Hm.”

Kyouko didn’t know what that meant.

“Is that a yes or a no?” she asked Anastazja.

A third pause.

“I could talk about them,” said Anastazja.

“Is now a good time?” asked Kyouko. She picked up her pen from between the exposed pages in her notebook and readied it to write. “Also, if you have any photographs of them, I would like to see them too.”

“I don’t understand how this is meant to help you with your investigation. Didn’t these dead people have families? They’d be able to provide you with more information.”

“I have spoken to them, but I was hoping to get another perspective, as well as ask you more about what happened at the party,” said Kyouko. She rolled her shoulders and her neck. “And there is another reason I wish to talk to you - I have a request. Would you be able to send me any photographs of the victims?”

“Look,” said Anastazja, raising her voice a bit, “I tell you what. This Thursday, I can come over in person, and we can talk face-to-face and I’ll bring what I have.”

Kyouko blinked. “Really?”

“What do you mean, ‘really’? I just said I would. If we’re going to have an interview, I don’t want to do it over the phone, and I don’t want to send anything else in text where who knows who can read it. Besides, I think I would like to examine you. So, this Thursday at noon, all right?”

“That’s fine. Tha-”

Anastazja hung up. Kyouko lowered her phone and stared at the screen. Evening was a tired blue outside.

* * *

“Kyouko Kirigiri...”

The word slushed around between Anastazja’s cheeks as she tasted it.

“Yes,” said Kyouko, seated at Byakuya’s desk but interviewing a different Togami this time. “That’s me.”

Blonde hair, blue eyes, a sharp nose and dressed formally, in appearance, Anastazja resembled her son greatly. She lacked his staple white glasses though, and her makeup consisted of a lot of nude tones with the exception of her lips. Those were pink.

“So you’re that woman,” said Anastazja, whatever she meant by that. “The former Super High School Level Detective.”

Anastazja’s frown deepened, and she drummed a finger against her armrest.

“Please stand up,” said Anastazja.

“Pardon?” asked Kyouko.

“Stand up. Just for a few moments.”

Kyouko gave her a puzzled look but complied.

“Spin,” said Anastazja, twirling her finger, and Kyouko allowed Anastazja a complete view of herself. Anastazja’s finger became still with the rest of her as she seemingly studied Kyouko, who only completed one circle. Some seconds later, Anastazja said, “You may sit now.”

So Kyouko did.

“167 centimetres, about 50 kilograms. Your chest is about 80 centimetres,” said Anastazja.

“That’s all correct,” said Kyouko with a slight nod of her head, keeping her eyes on Anastazja.

“Your body mass index is roughly the same as Byakuya’s wife. Far too low,” Anastazja curled her lips. Kyouko pulled a faint grimace that Anastazja paid no notice of. “So, anyway, Detective, if you’re supposedly the very best in your field, why is it that more than a month and a half has passed yet you haven’t made any real progress?”

“I was assigned to this case less than three weeks ago,” Kyouko pointed out. In that time, she had gone through countless witness statements, examined the crime scene and evidence, requested and carried out interviews and visited where the conglomerate were keeping the captured gunman, though she hadn’t been able to extract any information out of him as he refused to say a single word.

Anastazja clucked her tongue.

“If I had been contacted earlier,” started Kyouko, only for Anastazja to raise a hand and interrupt.

“That’s nothing to do with me. Kijou had certain criteria in mind for who he would allow to take charge of the case, and after everyone involved was paid off, Byakuya needed to form a convincing argument to persuade the conglomerate to authorise your employment.” Anastazja dropped her elevated hand to her lap. “That takes time.”

Kijou was the name of Byakuya’s father.

Kyouko quirked her brow. “Paid off?”

“You know, the families of the victims, members of the press, guests...” Anastazja lifted her hand again and waved it. “They all needed to be persuaded to keep hushed about what happened.”

“Why?”

“Why? What sort of message would this send out?” snapped Anastazja. “People getting assassinated... Bad publicity. Bad reputation. Bad image. Too much attention. There are some unrelated things that we wouldn’t want unearthed during an investigation.”

“Like what?” asked Kyouko.

Anastazja crossed one leg over the other, laying eye contact on thick.

“Secret documents... Certain police reports... Certain ledgers... Top secret projects...” None which Kyouko saw while in the storage room. Those must have been kept elsewhere. “The Togami Conglomerate is one of the entities that control the world. Everyone, people like you, are puppets. Not just anyone can breeze in here. They’ll happen upon things that ordinary people are not ready for.”

She leaned forward and laced her fingers together into a ball over her chest. At no point had Anastazija smiled, and she didn’t smile now either. The smell of her perfume became stronger, honey mixed with various flowers accords. Maybe powdery iris. Most of the time, Kyouko didn’t bother with perfume, but Sayaka had been an expert.

“Now, Kirigiri, as you ought to know, the shooter who they caught had someone else’s ID on him,” said Anastazja. “A trusted supplier who couldn’t attend because he was in America at the time. What sort of people would hire hitmen to infiltrate a party?”

Kyouko focused. “A rival company?”

“Maybe,” said Anastazja. Her eyes narrowed above her aquiline nose. “Maybe they weren’t hitmen, but came of their own accord, with their own agenda.”

“That’s a possibility,” admitted Kyouko, glancing away. She dragged her gaze back.  “However, he doesn’t have any fingerprints, he’s underweight and his behaviour under interrogation has been unshakeable, so I’m inclined to think this is his profession, rather than that he was brought here by his own motives.”

Anastazja nodded, the highest praise given out so far.

“If we go with them being hitmen, with someone else’s ID, a hitman could have gone in another person’s place, which he did,” said Anastazja.

Kyouko cupped her chin. “And no one noticed that they weren’t who they claimed to be?”

“Why do you think that happened?” asked Anastazja. She reclined, settling into her seat, and folded her arms over her chest.

“There were a lot of guests. And with a clever enough disguise...” Kyouko rubbed her chin and trailed off.

“Finally, the gears in your brain seem to be whirring. Yes, there were a lot of guests, many whom Byakuya invited just to build good work relations,” Anastazja chipped in. She examined her nails. “Wives, husbands, children, bodyguards... It was a very publicised event. There were bound to be unrecognisable people, and all these hitmen had to do was fool the guards to get in. You can imagine how much work it required for everything to be smoothed over after.”

“Was this Togami-kun’s idea? The bribing?”

“Byakuya? Not just his. Everyone agreed this would be the best course of action.”

“... Right.” Kyouko cleared her throat. “Anyway, let us get to the matter at hand. I assume you brought what I asked for.”

Anastazja ducked down and snatched up a canvas bag by her feet. She placed it onto the desk. An envelope could be seen through the opening and when Kyouko pulled it out, she found that it was the only thing in there.

“Is this it?” asked Kyouko, prompting Anastazja to turn up her nose.

“You said you wanted photographs for the investigations. These are all I have of people who died,” retorted Anastazja.

It would have to do. Kyouko opened the envelope and flicked through the contents. She had seen most of them before, but there were photographs from the party and two group photographs that she hadn’t seen yet. Nothing about the photographs taken at the party stood out, though there was one of Byakuya giving a speech of some kind while Touko smiled fondly at him, which Kyouko thought was sort of sweet. In regards to the photographs prior to the party, one depicted Kijou and the victims, and another showed a younger Byakuya alone with Osamu, where Byakuya was holding a violin.

Osamu smiled with his hand on Byakuya’s shoulder. Byakuya didn’t smile and stared right at the camera.

Even at what must have been about ten years old, he had perfected his stony countenance.

“What was Sugawara-san like?” asked Kyouko, examining the photograph.

“Oh, I don’t know... He liked music,” said Anastazja, which would imply she did know something. “Whenever we had guests over, Byakuya would perform a few pieces for everyone to enjoy. I liked to show him off. Sugawara often asked for an encore, and he would visit Byakuya backstage to ask him questions and compliment him... not that that’s strange. My son is very talented. I didn’t talk much to the man myself, but he came here somewhat regularly.”

Kyouko flicked back to a photograph that included Ikari and Shiba. She pointed. “And them?”

Anastazja leaned forward and peered at the photograph, which Kyouko rotated and held out toward her. While Anastazja studied it, Kyouko used her phone to take photos of the photographs.

“Hm? Them? Oh, I recognise them,” said Anastazja, touching a manicured nail to it. “I saw them even less. Ikari-san was a family man and Shiba-san smelled of cigarettes most of the time. I know Sugawara-san better. He saw potential in my son so would stop by to visit, years before Byakuya became the heir.”

“Became the heir?” Kyouko’s gaze darted to her face. “Isn’t that something someone is born...?”

For whatever reason, Anastazja tensed and almost cracked some emotion, but it was like a door opening up to a dark room.

“Don’t worry about that. Now, is that all?” asked Anastazja, her voice failing to hit the same note as the smile that she slapped on. Kyouko didn’t get a chance to reply. Anastazja nodded, took back her photos, got to her feet and turned away, already walking off as she said, “Good. I’ll let you get back to work.”

She glided across the room, at the door within seconds.

Kyouko reached out a hand.

“One last thing,” she said.

Anastazja lingered in the doorway.

“How did Togami-kun seem after the ordeal?” asked Kyouko.

“Shaken,” replied Anastazja, not bothering to turn around or look at her. “That’s what I was told, anyway.”

Kyouko wanted to discuss the events at the party, but she gained some interesting information regardless. After Anastazja left the office, Kyouko read through her notebook. The first word on the first page was ‘Byakuya Togami’.

* * *

Less than an hour after her interview with Anastazja, if one could call it that, Kyouko left the manor. But unlike Anastazja, who slipped into a limousine, Kyouko sat at the back of a black car with tinted windows, driven by one of Byakuya’s chauffeurs. She had expected to get into a limousine as well, but on further thought, doing so would draw attention to them. Still, that wasn’t to say that Kyouko disliked the hour long journey in the more modest car. The seats were soft and the back was roomier than most cars, with a minibar that she poured one drink at as Beethoven played on a radio station which she selected on a remote. Time didn’t pass too slowly.

As intended, no one paid the car more than a glance by the time it parked in the driveway of someone’s house. Kyouko didn’t know who the house belonged to, but the owner didn’t matter. She put her coat back on and gravel mumbled underfoot as they left the car, and she and the chauffeur walked half a mile in midday warmth to their destination.

Stone walls awaited them, surrounded by an outer wall of barbed wire fencing. They arrived at a set of gates built into the fencing, and Kyouko pressed a button on the intercom beside it.

“Name?” came a voice.

“Kyouko Kirigiri,” she replied.

“Purpose?”

“I’m here to speak to the nameless assassin,” she recited, not looking at any of the bug-eyed cameras around her.

Only five seconds could have passed before three security guards waltzed up to them, coming out through the door of a security guard cabin next to the gates. After they showed the security guard their passports, one of the guards held up a bulky, handheld device to their faces, scanning their retina. While this happened, the two other security guards searched them. A woman with a stubby ponytail dealt with Kyouko.

Satisfied by what they found, or rather what they didn’t find, one of the guards barked, “Clear,” into a walkie-talkie. The gates screeched open and Kyouko and the chauffeur were marched in. As soon as they passed through, the gates shut behind them. Kyouko reminded herself of the sections of grass either side of the pavement that they walked across, seen during earlier visits, and she saw no one else as the guards escorted her and the chauffeur through.

At the stone walls, they underwent another check by different guards, and then they were let inside. Security guards patrolled around them and after several twists, turns and stretches of dreary corridors, Kyouko strode into a small room occupied not by a guard but a man in a suit. The room was dimly lit, and a one-way mirror built into a wall revealed another room tinged green. Kyouko reached under her jacket and pulled out her notebook, then a pen. Her heels clicked as she approached the glass.

“He might as well have cut his tongue off,” said the man in the suit, standing next to Kyouko.

She continued peering through the one way mirror. The eyes of the bald man sat on a chair in there drilled into the wall opposite him. Over the past few weeks, she had seen him several times, and not as many times, she had spoken to him. During those occasions they had sat in the same room, with her staring at him from across a desk while he stared through her. He never uttered a single word.

“It’s good that he was apprehended at the scene,” the man in the suit told her. “No fingerprints. No anything. The only ID he had was a forged one of a guest who couldn’t attend. It’s no one that we know or the Togami Conglomerate know. If his accomplice, or accomplices, are anything like him, it’ll be hell to track them down.”

Kyouko didn’t reply. The man in a suit turned his head toward her.

“We might get some information out of him if we’re given permission to deploy certain methods,” he said.

“No,” replied Kyouko without missing a beat.

He glowered, straightened up and held his hands behind his back.

“Then I look forward to seeing if Togami-sama chose the right person to lead this investigation,” he said with his high, and he faced forward again.

Kyouko narrowed her eyes.

“I would like some time with him,” she said.

“Go ahead,” said the man in the suit, looking at the bald man.

Two guards accompanied her into the interrogation room, where the air was stale. The prisoner ignored her, as usual. She sat on the chair opposite him, a guard either side of her. He had two guards behind him. At first, she didn’t talk, watching him, though he didn’t move much, blinking occasionally.

“On 4th April this year, you entered a party thrown by Byakuya and Touko Togami, and you killed five people in the main hall, where the party was taking place,” said Kyouko. “Correct?”

She gave him the opportunity to respond, but as with their previous encounters, he didn’t reply.

“Who do you work for?” Kyouko asked.

Nothing.

“After you were let in, you managed to sneak away from the celebrations and get above the ceiling, and from there, by moving panels aside, you were able to shoot down at the victims. Security incapacitated you after you killed five people, and your comrade killed another in a side room before escaping.”

Still nothing.

“Up to now, you haven’t been tortured or humiliated,” she said. The prisoner gave no indication that he heard her. “It is not because they don’t intend on doing so. I have requested that they don’t... for the time being.”

Again. Nothing. The room buzzed, louder than him.

“Don’t think of me as a good cop. I’m not a cop. It’s just that I’m sure you’ve done this before so torture would be a waste of time,” she said. “Your fingerprints have been shaved off. You would have undergone different techniques in your training, such as hooding, deprivation of basic necessities, time disorientation and more. Many of them are illegal, but then again, you’re in an illegal line of work, and you are in the hands of the Togami Conglomerate, not the police.”

Her lashes fluttered.

“Not that it matters. The police are under the conglomerate’s thumb,” she added quietly.

Kyouko waited again. He helped her try to fill the room with silence. She sighed and rose to her feet. Her chair screeched as it was pushed back.

“This isn’t a matter of trying to prove that you’re guilty. You are guilty,” she told him. “You better hope that your training has prepared you for when I lose my patience. I’m human. So are you. Remember that.”

His silence followed her out of the room.

* * *

On Friday, Kyouko returned to the storage room and browsed through the files. On her first visit, she had been focused on finding photographs, but now she skimmed through the other documents there. Like Byakuya and his mother suggested, there were a lot of private files, though none of them could ruin the Togami Conglomerate to the best of her knowledge. Kyouko recognised a few case files. Even worked on some of them in the past.

They weren’t what she was interested in at the moment, however.

Byakuya arrived back at the manor in time for dinner, but he didn’t come alone. Kyouko first sighted him in the dining room, already seated, and with him wasn’t just Touko, but a slim woman with long, black hair who Kyouko recognised.

“Shinobu Togami,” said Kyouko.

“I know you,” said Shinobu, monotone but smiling politely. She was covered in old scars. “We’ve met. You interviewed me a week ago and we were in the same school, yeah? You’re the headmaster’s daughter.”

Kyouko’s lips flattened together. Shinobu blinked her left eye. Her right eye remained open, the blue iris giving off a glow. The eye was mechanical, had been during their time at Hope’s Peak, and Kyouko had never found out why.

That wasn’t the only robotic body part that Shinobu had. In addition to her eye, her right hand was silver, metal. She raised it and offered it to Kyouko.

“I’m here for my detective status, not as a daughter,” said Kyouko, her face still stiff with annoyance, but she still shook Shinobu’s hand. The dining table could seat ten people, but the other three had sat together, with Byakuya beside Touko and Shinobu opposite them, so Kyouko sat beside Shinobu. Dinner hadn’t been served yet, but they each possessed a cup of tea. No one thought to get Kyouko one, but a maid dashed into the kitchen after Kyouko claimed a chair for herself.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m here,” said Shinobu.

She pressed a finger against her right temple. The pupil in Shinobu’s right eye shrunk and the iris spun, the pale streaks in it whirling around, and she waited quietly, giving Kyouko the chance to guess, but Kyouko remained quiet.

“It’s just a family call,” Shinobu revealed. Her robotic eye stopped spinning. “Did you know that I’m writing my baby brother’s biography?”

Byakuya glared at her, about to take a sip of tea. “I’m hardly younger than you.”

“We all used to call him the runt,” said Shinobu.

Touko shot Shinobu an icy look.

“Who is ‘we’, exactly?” asked Kyouko.

“Me and our former siblings,” said Shinobu, motioning to herself and Byakuya, her shoulders low and loose. Casual.

“Former?” said Kyouko. “What does that mean?”

Byakuya lowered his cup and heaved a sigh.

“I suppose I may as well inform you of the system in place for selecting the heir to the conglomerate,” Byakuya drawled. He gave a pause, maybe for dramatic effect. “My father has over one hundred children.”

Kyouko’s eyebrows raised.

“All of us were conceived in private fertility clinics, and only women deemed to be of high enough quality by my father, his father and advisors were allowed to be fertilised with his seed. Then, after a few decades, my father decided to select the new heir. I was the youngest,” said Byakuya.

“And the youngest never ever wins,” Shinobu piped up, wagging a finger. “First, we did a series of challenges, and after each round, a certain number of competitors - ”

Siblings.

“ - were eliminated.” Shinobu cast her eyes down to her cup. “They were stripped of their identity and status, and forced to live as nobodies. Unknowns.”

“Basically killed,” remarked Byakuya.

Both spoke like it was a minor inevitability.

Kyouko didn’t say anything, frowning into space as a maid placed a cup and saucer in front of her.

“The last round involved sixteen competitors,” said Byakuya and when she glanced up, he had a bitter twist to his mouth. “I lost in the previous round despite my success in every challenge. With a bit of digging around, I discovered that one competitor had bribed by father with a cow that could supposedly bring good luck, and he took my place. I found out where the last round would be held and flew there in disguise.”

“As Polaris P Polanski,” Shinobu interrupted without raising her voice. “A mute girl, the assistant of the late elite detective, Suisei Nanamura.”

That might have explained the photographs of Byakuya with long hair. Kyouko paid it little thought, however, and homed in on another detail.

“Suisei Nanamura?” Kyouko said. Her heart skipped, just for a moment. “I knew him. He specialised in homicides and committed suicide at thirty-seven years of age.”

More words made their way up to her mouth but she shut her lips tight and blocked their path just before they could come out. They bounced around until they disintegrated, forming a crust. She didn’t mention that Suisei killed himself after murdering several people. His work with Byakuya couldn’t have been that long before she met Suisei when she was a young teenager. Suisei would have been useful to have on this case, able to read people by their expressions, posture and wrinkles like no other human could, but he was dead.

“I was one of the last people in the competition,” Shinobu carried on. “We were kidnapped from our homes, dropped off on an island and told to survive. Cameras everywhere watched our performance. But then...”

Her face and voice didn’t change, but when she moved her head, where the light hit her face and where shadows resided shifted.

“... people started getting murdered. Corpses, found charred. Stabbed. Bludgeoned. Poisoned. Our number dwindled. Soon, I realised that we were killing each other, and a set of twin sisters drugged me and tortured me. Then, they were shot...”

“Kirigiri doesn’t have to know this,” Byakuya cut in.

Kyouko was about to be annoyed.

Shinobu shook her head. “It’s fine. They amputated my left arm and my right hand, and gouged out my eye.”

Touko shuddered. Kyouko realised that Byakuya told Shinobu that she didn’t have to continue for Shinobu’s sake. Her brow creased.

“I thought I was going to die but then, right there in front of me, they were sliced up, and I was face-to-face with my adopted brother, Kazuo, who had followed me there, somehow.” Shinobu clenched a fist and her eye clouded vacant. “He rambled, saying how I would win and we would work together, becoming one, and he called me beautiful...”

She stared into space, her eye dry. No one rushed her.

“Sorry,” said Shinobu, making herself grin slightly. Her eye didn’t match. “If I could, I would cry, but after what he did to me, I haven’t been able to shed a single tear. I don’t feel hope or despair. I don’t feel anything... Just a numbness. I’m like a plastic bag being tossed about on a windy day.”

Byakuya turned his head to the side, arms folded over his chest. Touko fidgeted.

“But then, I was saved.” Shinobu placed a hand over her heart and bowed her head. “Nanamura and Polaris burst into my room. They fought Kazuo and Nanamura became injured, but then Pennyworth swooped in and with a katana, he sliced Kazuo in half, totally fulfilling the badass grandpa trope. It’s unfortunate that he’s not at the manor today.”

All that, said with no lilt, no inflection.

Kyouko cupped an elbow with one hand and balled the other into a loose fist under her chin. “Are you okay with that?”

“I don’t feel anything about it,” said Shinobu, meeting her gaze. “I was ready to be disowned. Polaris revealed herself to be Byakuya and became winner of the competition, but he let me stay his sibling and become his secretary. But I think it’s because I’m his sister too. I haven’t done secretary work for him in ages.”

Byakuya kept his face blank, unreadable.

Touko clasped her hands together on the table. Her face quivered. “She’s also writing his biography, even though I’m more than qualified.”

Shinobu shook a finger.

“Nope, it has to be me. I already started it, and you’ve got other things to write, like this I-Novel of yours,” said Shinobu. She tapped Touko on the nose. Touko flinched and Shinobu withdrew. “I’m very good at seeing things from the background and reporting on what I see, seeing people for who they are. And with my scars and Borges, people like to stay way back and act like I’m the Sun. Too blinding to look at directly.”

“Borges?” asked Kyouko. Shinobu pointed at her robotic eye.

“I could have got a regular-looking eye, but I like this one. I get to keep one eye open at all times. I know to many people, I appear ugly, but I don’t care,” said Shinobu. She set her arm down. “I don’t care about being beautiful. I don’t want to be beautiful.”

Touko perked up and waved a fist energetically. “Wear your ugliness with pride!”

A maid brought out their dinner and for the first half of the meal, no one said anything. Cutlery spoke in its secret language of clinks and scrapes. Touko cooed and tried to feed Byakuya a mussel from a bowl of creamy soup, but he batted away Touko’s hand. Her shoulders sank and she sucked on the flesh in the shell, pouting a bit.

“Togami-kun,” said Kyouko when she was someway through her grilled mackerel.

Byakuya didn’t look at her. “What is it?”

“Would you obtain something for me?”

“It depends what it is.”

“Personal phones. Personal email addresses and passwords.”

He narrowed his eyes at her.

“I will get them for you,” he replied.

Touko tried to feed him again. This time, she succeeded, and she beamed. Shinobu continued eating but slower than before, obviously listening in. Byakuya swallowed.

“Do you think you will find something on those?” he asked Kyouko.

“Perhaps,” said Kyouko. “I’ve been through the victims’ work phones and emails, but I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.”

He pushed his glasses up and said, “You suspect that you might find something there instead? Blackmail?”

Kyouko tilted her head to one side. “If this has crossed your mind, I wonder why you didn’t do this yourself already.”

Touko glowered.

“B-Byakuya has been busy! You’re the one supposed to be looking for leads,” snapped Touko, then falling silent as Byakuya steepled his fingers and inclined his head forward.

“I have read through all of the personal addresses that I know about,” he told Kyouko. “I didn’t find anything suspicious on them, but perhaps you will miraculously find something on them that I missed. For all I know, there are other emails that weren’t supplied to me. I encourage you to sleuth for them. However, I do wonder...”

He paused to show his teeth in a humourless grin.

“... It sounds like you’re treating them less like victims and more like suspects now, Kirigiri.”

Kyouko gave him a level look. “I’m keeping my mind open.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some liberties with the Togami Novel canon and made up what his mother is like.
> 
> Also, any ideas on what's gone on?


	5. We have a threesome taking place here (E-Rated)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> read the chapter title. they also play monopoly too.

On Saturday, at six in the evening, Kyouko knocked on the door of the Togami master bedroom, as had been decided. Half a minute later, the door opened a crack, and Byakuya flashed her a partial view of his face. Byakuya darted out of sight, but only temporarily, and seconds later, he opened the door more, revealing the entirety of himself with Touko beside him.

He stepped to the side and gestured toward the inside of their room. Touko realised that she was blocking Kyouko’s way and shuffled back. Kyouko meant to thank them but ended up mouthing her gratitude as she slipped past.

The room hadn’t changed since her last visit. Same ornate carpet, same four-poster bed, and same flowers occupying the vase by the bed. Even the desk was still buried in books and stacks of paper stapled together. Byakuya walked up to Kyouko. She didn’t see him do this, but she heard his footsteps.

“They’re building up again,” said Byakuya. Kyouko glanced at him. He was looking at the desk.

“I’ll move them to my writing room tomorrow,” promised Touko as she sidled up to his other side.

Byakuya nodded and then motioned to a low table that Kyouko didn’t remember being near the bed. She didn’t recognise it at all, so for all she knew, they had taken it from another part of the house. There weren’t any chairs and the table legs were stubs, so she assumed that he expected her to kneel at it.

Kyouko walked over and seated herself at it. Touko came over next, placing herself across the table from Kyouko, a bottle of white wine between them as well as three glasses. Byakuya sat beside Touko and whisked out a waiter’s wine key from his jacket’s inner pocket. 

In a series of small but firm tugs, he opened the knife outward from the rest of the device and then grasped the bottle with his other hand. Keeping a strong hold on the neck, he cut around the top of the golden foil capsule . The bottle slowly rotated as his knife cut around in a circuit, repeating its fixed path until he could easily pick off the top. 

Underneath where the foil had been, cork became exposed. Byakuya dabbed a clean handkerchief against it. Kyouko guessed it was in case any mould had grown under the foil, but she couldn’t see any. It must have been a precaution, just in case. He snapped the knife component back into the wine key, and this time extended out a corkscrew, which he pressed against the cork and started to wiggle in.

As he twisted it downward, he positioned the corkscrew so it was upright, and he penetrated the cork until only one spiral of the worm could be seen. After some fiddling, Byakuya drew the cork halfway out, and then with some more fiddling, the cork came most of the way out. With ease, he jiggled and removed it entirely with his hand. 

He flicked his wrist more dramatically than needed.

“B-Bravo!” Touko gushed, wringing her hands together but not out of fear, or nervousness. She was beaming.

Byakuya smirked.

“One thing that Burgundy is known for is its wine,” he announced, and he proceeded to pour some into each glass. After the third glass, he set the bottle down and picked up a glass, holding it to eye level and examining the shimmering liquid within. “It’s universally agreed that the producer of this wine is one of the greatest in the region, and I’m inclined to agree.”

Kyouko watched him take a few gulps. Touko claimed a glass for herself and drank slower than him, prolonging her sips.

“What’s the matter, Kirigiri? Don’t you drink?” Byakuya asked with a quirked brow and a hint of amusement.

“Sometimes,” replied Kyouko, her hands on her lap. She grabbed the remaining glass, brought it to her lips and tipped her head back slightly. The rich, fruity flavour of the pale gold wine swept through Kyouko and by the time she lowered the rim of the almost empty glass from her lips, her insides felt like they were giving off a warm glow.

Byakuya was on his second glass. He flourished the bottle of wine. “Do you want a refill?”

She glided her tongue across the spicy coating inside of her mouth and nodded.

“One of the conditions for this meeting was that we didn’t just twiddle our thumbs and drink,” said Byakuya, filling Kyouko’s glass. Then he nudged up his glasses, splashed some wine into his mouth from his glass and in a low, husky voice, said, “Be prepared for a night of adrenaline... risk... adventure... for you see...”

He reached under the table and revealed a box that had been hidden there.

Kyouko stared.

“... for you see, we are going to play Monopoly,” said Byakuya.

She gave a light lip press.

“Monopoly,” echoed Kyouko half-heartedly.

Touko glared and hissed, “I-It’s one of Byakuya-sama’s favourite games, so don’t spoil it!”

One of his favourite games. Of course it would be.

“It isn’t supposed to be a fun game,” said Kyouko as Byakuya set everything up. “In fact, the  precursor was created by a Georgist  to teach people about the negative economic effects of land monopolism .”

“I’ll be the banker,” Byakuya informed them, purposely ignoring her, and he selected the car token. Touko took the shoe.

Kyouko narrowed her eyes. Makoto’s disembodied voice said, “Be a good friend, and they’ll come around.”

‘This better be worth it.’ That was what she thought to herself.

She picked up the scottie dog and the three of them put their tokens on the ‘GO’ square. Byakuya rolled two die, then Touko, and then Kyouko. Touko’s roll totalled the highest number, so she went first and ended up on the railroad. 

After Touko, Kyouko tossed the die. Her scottie dog hopped across squares, past Touko’s, and she counted it onto a light blue square. Byakuya rolled the die for his move, and he stopped one square shy of Kyouko.

They all owned one place.

The die rapped the table with every throw. Kyouko rested her cheek in her hand and drained her glass. She didn’t know if she had to ask permission for more wine but decided to get herself some more anyway. Byakuya didn’t notice, busy scowling as his token arrived at a street marked yellow that Kyouko purchased on the previous turn.

That got her to smile a little. Not a lot, but it was a smile all the same, and Byakuya handed over a few banknotes. Then, by pure coincidence, Touko’s next throw landed her shoe on the same square as the other two.

Touko passed individual notes to Kyouko.

“Well, well. We have a threesome taking place here,” remarked Byakuya. Both girls flinched at his wording. He drank some wine without missing a beat, so Kyouko didn’t think that he meant it to have any sexual connotations.

Why would he? She furrowed her brow and rolled the die, which took her token to the community chest square. Knowing enough English, she understood her card and rode on one of the trains, giving her a bonus for passing GO but then confiscating an eighth of her recent earnings as she landed on Touko’s property.

Somehow, the other two both ended up taking a community chest card on their next goes too. Byakuya was rewarded money and Touko, who had a slightly shaky grasp on the language, was transported to GO.

Kyouko failed to restrain a grin when Byakuya had to pay luxury tax, and then later when the Chance Square dragged him back three spaces to pay income tax. His lips thinned but he didn’t complain, opening his mouth only as he drank wine, and he drank more when a community chest card insisted he pay school tax.

“Again?” he mumbled. One of Touko’s hands disappeared to under the table and his eyes widened for a moment. He relaxed. She seemed to be rubbing him somewhere. Hopefully it was his leg.

A few turns later, everyone was lower on money, with Kyouko in the lead by nearly $100. The next highlight of the game involved her being taken to jail, which earned smirks from the pair opposite her.

“Jail isn’t a bad place to go, necessarily,” Byakuya said as his car token arrived at the first street after GO. He bought it. “Later on in the game, it’s the ideal place to be.”

Yes, it was later on, Kyouko found herself thinking as Byakuya and Touko gained ownership of more places. It wasn’t long before she was granted freedom, and she went straight from jail to one of Byakuya’s streets.

She couldn’t be too annoyed. By now, he was significantly the poorest.

It served him right. Byakuya couldn’t even afford Park Place, which he reluctantly left to auction. He placed a few bids, but in the end, Touko and Kyouko battled beyond his funds, with Touko winning and becoming quite a bit poorer than before but with both of the dark blue streets in her possession.

They started a second bottle of wine.

As the game progressed, though it didn’t get much funner, exactly, Kyouko did enjoy it more, due to her being the richest, Byakuya being the poorest and them having access to high quality wine. She definitely felt a buzz, and she grinned when Byakuya landed on one of her three railroads.

“Shut up,” he grumbled as he paid up. Kyouko pocketed $100. He chugged down more wine, his face flushed, but Kyouko’s spirits were too high for her to be offended.

A dark purple square, a yellow square and an orange square remained to be seized. Kyouko got taken to jail again, but thinking back to what Byakuya said, she thought it wasn’t a big loss. It would prevent her from landing on other people’s property for a while, at least.

Touko bought a house for each of her pink streets. Jail definitely wasn’t the end of the world. Then Touko rolled again and bought the final orange street. Byakuya pulled a face and folded his arms over his chest.

She noticed and rubbed her cheek against his stiff upper arm. “Y-You could always buy them off me...”

He didn’t respond. In a matter of turns, Touko was running low on money, hit hard by one of Kyouko’s railroads. Touko had $58 to her name, but two turns left her on her own property and right before GO, where she would get a much needed bonus.

Later, according to a card that Byakuya acquired, he won second place in a beauty contest.

“Second?” Touko snorted, grinding her cheek against him again. The shallow pool of gold in her glass swished. “I-Impossible! Read it again.”

“It says second,” he said.

Her hand furthest from him crossed over her body and reached between his legs, but the low table spared Kyouko of any more specifics.

“The judge must have been blind,” said Touko. Byakuya just grinned.

Kyouko coughed and the game resumed. One of her rolls got her the last dark purple street, leaving only a yellow street up for grabs, so now it was just a matter of waiting for something to happen, however long that took. She finished her glass and shuddered, licking the base when only droplets remained.

“I s-see you’re putting your practice with Maizono to good use,” said Touko, and Kyouko flinched, face burning.

“If that’s how you want to console yourself on being dirt poor, go ahead,” said Kyouko, looking away.

“You cow,” mumbled Touko. She slumped against Byakuya. 

He rolled his die and said to his wife, “You know, you’re the only one here who hasn’t performed cunninglingus.”

That, Kyouko could have gone without knowing.

“A-And you’re so good at it too,” said Touko, nuzzling into his side. Her hand was still under the table, something that a sober Byakuya might have objected to with a guest present, rather than react with the occasional bite on his lower lip. “You’re leagues above Kirigiri...”

“You don’t know that,” said Kyouko, and the other two smirked.

The game hit a lull, with everyone comfortably over $500. Kyouko owned $1000 and was in jail yet again. Then, for a while, they all had roughly $1000, and Touko held the spot of richest player.

After landing on one of Kyouko’s railroads, Byakuya said, “Touko, I wish to buy New York Avenue and Tennessee Avenue off you. I’ll pay $500.”

His offer was so American that Kyouko said, “Why do you own an English version of the game, anyway?”

Byakuya glanced at her. “Pennyworth bought it for me when we visited America a long time ago. He thought I would like it and it would help me on my English and maths skills.”

A reasonable answer. 

He looked back at Touko. “Say yes.”

She wiggled. 

“I’ll... g-give them to you for that price if you... throw something else in,” she said, blushing.

“Which colour?”

Touko’s lips stretched outward, corners curled. “N-Not anything like that... I want a lap dance, darling.”

Kyouko choked on her drink.

A sober Byakuya definitely would have declined, but in this state, the allure of owning all the streets marked orange proved too much, so he said, “I need room.”

More than happily, Touko scooted back, giving Byakuya enough space to stand over her. Byakuya placed his feet either side of Touko and facing her, put his hands onto his hips and swayed them left to right, gradually dropping down his body then rising again. Though not the most complicated of movements, Touko fanned her face, squealing when he bent down and stroked her cheek with his hand. 

He smirked, straightened and positioned his crotch in front of her face.

“G-Go in a circle!” Touko demanded with uncharacteristic authority, or maybe she always had it in her.

Byakuya obeyed. As he walked around her - Kyouko noted that his belt was loose - he brushed his hand across Touko’s shoulder. Kyouko had the distinct feeling, from his smirk to Touko’s radiant face, that they had done this in the past.

What was not so certain was why Kyouko didn’t just avert her eyes. She watched Byakuya settle on Touko’s lap with his back toward Touko, and she watched his body alternate in how it curved as he moved his hips side to side, grinding against her. He popped out the top two buttons of his shirt and bounced on Touko’s lap in rapid squats, which Kyouko didn’t consider as arousing as the rest of the dance, but Touko’s breathing grew ragged and he tapped her wrist when she tried to wrap her arms around him.

“Touching is forbidden,” he drawled, and he turned around to straddle her.

During the next part of the lapdance, Byakuya swayed his hips, hovering over Touko’s lap. Byakuya dipped down and gyrated on her lap, finishing off this movement with a pelvic jerk against her and then a single bounce. More hip shaking followed. He repeated the action again, and then he got off her, sitting where where he had sat before, equally red in the face. 

While he mopped his brow with his hand and treated himself to more wine, Touko took the agreed money, left him the orange streets and fanned her face with the notes that would go toward buying houses on the dark blue streets.

“Your turn, Kirigiri,” said Byakuya, panting.

Kyouko shifted her body back.

“What are you doing?” he asked, confused.

She realised he meant it was her turn to roll the die. Her face heated up and she shunted her body forward, flinging the die against the table. 

The card that she picked up from the community chest pile sent her straight to jail.

Normally, that would have been a good thing at this stage of the game, but while she was in there, Byakuya bought a house for each of his orange streets, so all the streets on that side had a house on them... and none of them belonged to Kyouko. It cost him most of his money, but he swiftly went to jail after his investment, and he smiled. 

Kyouko caught herself staring at his lips and told herself that him smiling was a rare sight, and that was why it had distracted her. Touko bought more houses for both her pink and dark blue streets. One of them stole $600 from Kyouko in a single turn.

Okay, so Kyouko wasn’t so comfortably well-off anymore. Byakuya went to jail for another time and was spared from Touko’s wrath.

This game taught bad things, if Kyouko actually wanted to go to jail, or maybe it reflected reality. Her face lit up when she was incarcerated, though it drained as she realised she would be taken to the side of the board where Byakuya and Touko ruled with their houses. Kyouko really needed all of the colours of something, and her best options were buying a railroad off Touko or a purple or light blue street from Byakuya. 

Four railroads would get her $200 if someone landed on them, but she could get more if she bought houses. Those all cost money, though.

Decisions, decisions.

“Touko-san,” Kyouko said, “I will pay $400 for Reading Railroad.”

“Huh?” Touko turned to her. 

Byakuya smirked and whispered something in Touko’s ear. Her lips twisted into a dirty smile. 

“Y-You’ll be getting a lot of rent on those spaces so... that’s not enough money, I’m afraid,” said Touko.

“$500?” suggested Kyouko. Risky, but it might pay off.

Touko shook her head at this offer and extended her hand. “$450 and your blouse.”

Kyouko jerked her head back and covered her chest instinctively. “Pardon?”

“You can have it back after the game,” said Touko, her leer oozing on her face. “W-What’s it going to be? I won’t accept anything else.”

She dangled the card of her railroad in front of Kyouko. Byakuya’s face betrayed no anger or outrage, so Kyouko figured that he wouldn’t mind. Cursing them both in her head, Kyouko unbuttoned her blouse and passed it to Touko. 

While Touko stared down at the piece of clothing in her arms, Kyouko crossed her arms over her chest, hands on her shoulders, obscuring as much of her black, lightly lined bra as she could.

“You’ll find it difficult to play like that,” Byakuya told her, and Kyouko looked up, meeting his eyes. Touko followed his gaze.

Kyouko swallowed. Her chest tightened and she untangled her arms so she could roll the die. Even without looking at them, she could feel their sharp gazes drill into her chest until she gave Byakuya some rent.

“Plain. I’m not surprised,” commented Byakuya. He put down his money and picked up the die for his turn.

Touko’s gaze lingered, even when she was due to roll the die. Only a nudge and a cough from Byakuya broke her out of her trance. She draped Kyouko’s blouse over her lap and tossed the die, and she bought the last available location.

At this point, Touko had a very definite lead with almost $1000 more than Kyouko, who was in second place, and Touko’s pink streets had three houses and her dark blue streets had two, while Byakuya’s orange streets had a pair each. Most likely, Touko would win the game, but Byakuya seemed determined to continue even if he had little more than $100.

He probably liked the danger.

However, it wasn’t him who became bankrupt first. Kyouko didn’t have the $600 needed for Touko’s rent.

“You need $208 to get you in the clear.” Touko simpered. “Tell you what, give me your skirt and I’ll lend you some money.” 

Without stopping to think, Kyouko rose up and shimmied down her skirt. She hurled it at Touko, who shrieked and clawed it off her face. It tumbled onto her lap. Kyouko sat down before Touko could see her black briefs, matching her bra, but Byakuya glimpsed them and his lips twitched.

A few rounds later, misfortune scorned Kyouko again, making her owe Touko $450 that she didn’t have. Buying Reading Railroad from Touko had not paid off at all.

“E-Ever since you discarded your blouse, you’ve been on a downward spiral,” commented Touko. She stuck her nose up a Kyouko’s cleavage. “Maybe you do all your thinking in those huge tits, and bringing them out into the cool air made them inactive.”

Kyouko didn’t feel cold, but like she had been set on fire.

“H-How much bigger do you think they are than mine, darling?” asked Touko.

Byakuya and Touko leaned forward to examine Kyouko’s breasts, and Kyouko was too stunned and possibly too intoxicated to shield them from sight. She still had her bra on, anyway.

“It’s hard to tell,” he said. “But size isn’t everything, you know.”

Touko’s brow quivered.

“G-Give me your bra and I’ll pay you what you need,” she said.

Kyouko hesitated but Byakuya didn’t object, so Kyouko unclasped her bra at the back, whipped it off and held it out for Touko to take. She still had enough sense to know that her breasts were on full display, so when Touko seized her bra, she curled her hands over them.

“Argh, you weren’t padded!” Touko whined, thumbing the bra cups. “They’re b-bigger than you let on! Is this one of your tricks?”

Again about her breasts.

“Tricks?” said Kyouko, tensing. Touko fidgeted with the bra cups. Byakuya did a better job of keeping his gaze on Kyouko’s face, besides one long glance. Kyouko suspected that her hands didn’t hide as much as she wanted and tried to cover them better.

“You’re always being mysterious and hiding something, and your breasts are just one of those things!” said Touko, tightening her hands against Kyouko’s bra. Her nose wrinkled. “Are they even real?”

“See for yourself,” Kyouko blurted without thinking.

With the same lack of forethought, Touko crawled across the Monopoly board, jolting plastic houses out of their spots, and pushed one of Kyouko’s hands away so she could grab a breast. Kyouko gasped and lowered that hand, putting her breast on full show. Touko squeezed and Kyouko bit her lip, silent and shivering as Touko dragged her fingers inward. Her digits came together on Kyouko’s nipple and she pinched, drawing out a groan from Kyouko that heightened as Touko applied more pressure.

“Byakuya, what do you think?” asked Touko, letting go of Kyouko’s hardening peak in favour of groping the pale area below.

He reached forward and cupped the underside of Kyouko’s other breast. She bit her lip. Something throbbed in her lower body as he started rubbing his thumb in circles around her nipple.

“Silicon wouldn’t make it less real. More artificial, but not less real,” he remarked. His thumb pressed into her nipple and he jiggled her breast before stroking it again, only more firmly. “Still. No surgery.”

“They aren’t that big,” Kyouko mumbled, shoulders rising and falling, breathing quickening.

Touko tapped Kyouko’s breast harshly. It could almost be considered a slap. “S-Stop trying to be modest! It’s just making you come across as more smug...”

Byakuya adjusted his hold so Kyouko’s nipple became enclosed by his curved palm, and another moan escaped from Kyouko as he rubbed. She wiggled as he drew his hand in small circles while Touko prodded Kyouko’s breast with a stiff finger, all over.

He squeezed. Kyouko breathed shakily. Touko peeked at Byakuya and copied him, rolling Kyouko’s nipple in her hand, earning herself the honour of causing Kyouko’s thighs to chafe together.

“Take your bra off too, Touko,” said Byakuya as he scratched lightly at Kyouko’s nipple.

Obediently, Touko released Kyouko and straightened up. The first item of clothing that Touko hauled off was her top, over her head. She flung it to the floor and fiddled with her bra, white with a simple black ribbons between the cups, and after some fumbling, it landed further away than her top had.

Kyouko noted that Touko’s breasts were smaller. And that they were breasts. And getting closer. Touko moistened her lips and set her hands down in front of her, on all fours, still wearing her skirt and whatever was underneath. She shook her shoulders seductively and in the next moment, pounced. Byakuya dodged out of the way. Her arms fell over Kyouko’s shoulders, and Touko pushed her breasts into Kyouko’s and their foreheads together.

Both women regarded the other with flushed faces. Touko tilted her head down without breaking physical contact, probably only meaning to look down to compare their sizes, but Kyouko changed the angle of her head too at the same time, leaning slightly to the side and brushing their lips together.

Tingling spread across the back of Kyouko’s neck. The arms by her neck tightened and Touko slid her lips onto Kyouko’s, this time pressing them into hers rather than passing them by. Kyouko’s heart drummed in her chest. All thought dissolved into static. Her hands hovered awkwardly, holding onto nothing, so she gripped Touko’s shoulders. 

A thin layer of saliva coated Touko’s lips, but it didn’t hide how chapped they were, how uneven they were from being chewed on. Touko’s glasses slipped down her nose, and Touko gave a small, low, annoyed whine. The two women’s lips separated for a moment but as soon as Touko had removed her glasses, her warmth returned to Kyouko, more firmly than before.

Barely breathing, Kyouko let her eyes shut, and she submitted herself to the darkness behind her lids and to Touko.

Behind Touko, a thump. Byakuya climbed onto the table. Guilt, buried in Kyouko’s chest, clenched. Her vision blurred as she opened her eyes. Monopoly pieces rattled as Byakuya positioned himself beside Touko, facing them. 

He reached between their faces, knuckles toward Kyouko. Traces of consciousness seeped back in, which had been smothered by Touko’s heat and groans, and Kyouko thought that he intended to halt this. Byakuya tugged on Touko’s chin, turning her head toward him, and they kissed now.

The rest of Touko’s body twisted around and her arms withdrew from Kyouko’s shoulders to claim his. He took his glasses off and threw them somewhere. His hands clutched Touko’s cheeks and the couple pushed into each other, shifting their heads slightly so their noses didn’t collide head-on, and they pressed even closer, as close as possible.

Touko inched her head back, clinging to him still. Her mouth, opened in a groan, gave Byakuya’s tongue entrance. Kyouko spectated, hearing moans rumble and echo between them, watching Touko flit onto his lap. Their lips mashed together, their hands explored and Touko ground against him, skirt bunched up behind her so that didn’t come between them and disturb their proximity.

“Hey, Kirigiri,” mumbled Touko. Kyouko blinked. “Don’t just... sit there...”

To Kyouko’s surprise, Touko reached around and tugged on Kyouko’s wrist. Spurred on by an inner fire, Kyouko grasped Touko’s shoulder, the one closest to her. Byakuya turned his head and grabbed Kyouko by the shoulder. His lips glistened, and he stared at her with half-lidded eyes.

“I-It has to be fair,” panted Touko. She placed a hand onto his cheek, her other arm falling to her side, and guided his head toward Kyouko.

While kissing Kyouko, Byakuya chose to keep his lips shut and to not let his hand stray from Kyouko’s shoulder. Another time, Kyouko would have thought it strange that Touko encouraged him to do this, especially after the friction caused by Touko’s accusations and paranoia. And another time, she would have reeled at the thought of kissing Byakuya, who tried her patience so often, who was as guarded around her as she around him, but now, their bodies stayed still, not hungering for more of this but not resisting, or fighting, existing in passive reciprocation.

Kyouko withstood the urge to shut her eyes. Opposite her, connected to her, Byakuya seemed to do the same. He squeezed her shoulder but did nothing else. Neither did or would have, had Touko not reached out to embrace her two companions, allocating them both one of her arms, and wiggled her face into the crack between theirs.

There would be a lot to talk about later.

The next dozen kisses, if lips tapping and sliding around counted as those, didn’t last long enough for Kyouko to recognise who they were from. Their breaths all reeked of wine, and their cheeks glowed pink and hot, and in such close proximity, sight couldn’t be depended upon. Hands and bodies were easier to identify the owner of, because Kyouko wore gloves, and Byakuya had only taken off his jacket since Kyouko arrived. Three people kissing at the same time turned out to be impractical, and for it to work better, they would have to be sober and more dexterous, so more often than not, two joined lips at any one time, and they took turns like a game of monopoly.

Their movements slowed. Kyouko locked lips with Touko. Byakuya contented himself by licking his wife’s neck, and then he caressed her cheek with his lips. He didn’t stay doing that for long, and he cut between them with his tongue. When he reunited his tongue with Touko’s, Kyouko grasped one of Touko’s breasts and breathed against her ear, before dipping down to Touko’s exposed neck. Touko sighed and trembled as Kyouko pecked at her skin.

Kyouko kneaded Touko’s breast, grasping Byakuya’s shirt with her other hand. Her fingers slipped a bit on his shirt. She lifted her hand and hooked her fingers around where his shirt divided at the front.

Byakuya cottoned on and started to unfasten the buttons on his shirt with her, his clammy hands patting and grazing against hers. Touko drew back, panting, and sprung onto him the moment his shirt crumpled onto the table. The only times that Kyouko saw Byakuya’s bare chest had been during swimming lessons, and even then, he often sat at the side, fully dressed, with Touko standing at a distance, gradually gravitating closer. He could swim, Kyouko had witnessed this in relays and those days when he streaked back and forth in solitary laps, and he didn’t have a body that others would shame him into hiding, even when not taking into account that he brimmed with self-confidence.

She had never paid his physique any attention before now, before Touko stroked his chest, before Touko skimmed her lips over every shadow of definition, over every rise and fall, and over his nipples that hardened at her touch.

Touko pulled down her skirt and flapped her feet, kicking until she had distangled herself from it, and then shoved herself into Byakuya, knocking him onto his back.

White panties. Askew. Kyouko caught herself staring at a sliver of exposed skin down there and her eyes flitted to the rest of the table.

There really wasn’t enough room for this.

“The bed is more spacious,” said Kyouko. “And orthodox.”

As if Kyouko hadn’t said anything, Touko, lying on top of Byakuya, leaned down to plant a kiss onto her husband’s lips, but just before possible contact, Byakuya nudged on her shoulder, prompting her to stop.

“Up,” he said.

Touko obeyed and threw a dirty look at Kyouko, but Kyouko knew that they’d all appreciate it later.

Byakuya and Kyouko followed Touko to the bed, which was far more commodious and softer than the table. The mattress sank a little under Kyouko’s weight. Despite the number of places for one to occupy, they sat together, Byakuya and Kyouko on one edge, both turned toward Touko who occupied the centre of the bed with her legs spread, showing off a damp spot.

Kyouko’s eyebrows rose, and she only looked away when she felt Byakuya’s hand on her thigh. Her breathing hitched but she allowed his hand to creep up it, and she let him slide his finger between her legs. Byakuya rubbed at her panties, feeling her wiggle, and he pressed harder to confirm his suspicions. 

Instinctively, Kyouko pushed into his digit, trying to bring his finger to a twinge in her, and when he chuckled, she tried to freeze him with her glare. However, nothing in her was cold. Kyouko chewed on the inside of her cheeks, awash in a new wave of heat as he poked around. She clenched her jaw, but Byakuya worked a whimper out of her, and she gripped onto the bed sheet harder. 

Her thighs clamped around his hand, which made it harder for him to extract it, but he managed to free himself and took hold of her shoulders. He pushed her onto her back and then grabbed her heels, swinging her legs around. Touko darted out of the way, leaving Kyouko enough room to lie down on the bed.

If Kyouko’s stubborn streak hadn’t been swallowed by her raging heart and crotch, she would have complained about Byakuya rearranging her so carelessly.

Byakuya and Touko popped into view, peering down.

“This is a surprising look for you,” Byakuya said with a grin. 

Kyouko’s head spun too much for her to fix a glare onto him. His hand stroked her thigh, which twitched in response.

“F-Fuck off,” she managed.

He laughed. That threw her off.

“Hey, Touko.” Byakuya lifted his hand away. “Feel how wet she is.”

Touko reached down to resume where Byakuya left off. Kyouko scrunched up her face and tried to trap Touko’s hand between her thighs. She didn’t exert enough pressure to prohibit movement, just to make it inconvenient if Touko intended to taunt Kyouko too and take her hand away like Byakuya did, but Touko meant business. Two of her fingers pressed firmly into Kyouko, who shuddered and tried to push back, cursing the layer of fabric separating their skin. Fabric smoother than it ought to be. Smoother because of her excitement. Pleasure. Spreading and making a mess of her panties, and Touko encouraged, nurtured it.

Byakuya situated himself behind Touko and watched over her shoulder. After a while, he scooped his wife’s breasts into his hands and fondled them. She rolled her head back and kissed him. The distraction slowed her hand. A grimace started to set onto Kyouko’s features, but it flaked off when Byakuya grabbed Touko’s wrist and assumed control, rubbing Kyouko with Touko’s fingers.

Puffs of air burst out from Kyouko and she might have been able to be satisfied by these hand motions, eventually, but then Byakuya let go of Touko’s breast and peeled off Kyouko’s panties, tugging them down her thighs and revealing her trimmed pubic hair. Byakuya parted Kyouko’s legs with both hands. 

Touko licked her lips, staring hungrily. He cupped the back of her  head and pushed.

Kyouko inhaled sharply. Her crotch pulsated as Touko’s head lowered with no resistance - despite Byakuya leading Touko’s head down, his teeth bared in a grin, Touko seemed to move on her own accord. There was a moment when Kyouko realised what happened and what was going to happen, and then hot breath gained physical form as lips and a tongue buried themselves into her.

Byakuya pulled gently on Touko’s head and she receded, but only a bit, and with his guidance, she ran her tongue up and down one side of Kyouko’s folds. First, with the tip of her tongue, and then she used more of her tongue, curling it into different forms. She curved her arms around Kyouko’s legs to rest her palms on Kyouko’s stomach. Restless energy built up in Kyouko’s core and she rolled her hips. 

That threatened to dislodge Touko’s mouth, so Kyouko grabbed the top of Touko’s head, bumping hands with Byakuya, and dug her heels into the mattress, trying to keep herself still. Touko retracted one hand to spread Kyouko’s lips apart and dragged her tongue over to lick the other side of Kyouko, and though it was a short distance, it crossed over the top of that intimate area where Kyouko  _ ached _ . Kyouko’s moans punctured the air as Touko explored, spreading Kyouko’s wetness and getting it everywhere in the surrounding area except where Kyouko wanted her touch the most. A pathetic whine hissed out from her lips but Kyouko didn’t care, squirming and scraping her heels against the bed as the tingling in her thighs grew more intense.

A pair of hands seized Kyouko’s legs and hooked them over Touko’s upper arms. Before Kyouko could think much of this, the bed quaked, and then Touko bobbed more than the bed should have caused her to. When the rumbling subsided, no stronger than which shook her body, Kyouko lifted herself up a bit. Through the haze of her wilting eyelids, Kyouko saw that Byakuya had situated himself beneath Touko. More specifically, he situated his face underneath Touko, against her bare crotch. He must have taken off Touko’s panties while the bed had been moving. His hands gripped Touko’s thighs and his legs bent around the edge of the bed, and with his mouth, he did to Touko what Touko was doing to Kyouko.

Touko transferred more of her weight onto her arms, keeping her head down, down on Kyouko, who flopped back and listened to Touko’s muffled groans. Any lingering thoughts on Byakuya melted away. She could feel Touko’s noises as her lips quivered, as her tongue drew lines against Kyouko from bottom to top, firm and persistent and stopping just shy of Kyouko’s hood of skin. Each time.

Compared to Touko, Sayaka had been meeker, gentler, when doing this, unable to make eye contact, blushing and squeaking. Though Kyouko wouldn’t say Touko was rough, she would say she was bolder, and noisier, and more animated. Tremors enveloped Kyouko’s body that had a voice in her head screeching for more.

Gulps and licks crackled, mixed in with infrequent grunts from the other two. Kyouko accompanied their pants and whines, and she jerked her hips and tugged on Touko’s hair, accidentally knocking Touko’s hand off her lower lips. Gritting her teeth, Kyouko rubbed herself where Touko’s tongue neglected and bit down on her bottom lip. Touko glowered, her pink and sweaty face framed by unkempt, undone hair, and she swatted Kyouko’s hand away. She pressed her fingers into Kyouko in a steady, circular motions and resumed licking, focusing her tongue below her fingers and twitching and occasionally butting her face against Kyouko as Byakuya’s mouth feasted on her.

When she had soaked Kyouko in her own saliva, Touko slipped her tongue inside. That elicited a cry from Kyouko, who rocked into her. Though Touko grumbled, she permitted it for a minute or so, and then, deciding that Kyouko rammed into her enough, Touko lifted her head and took some deep breaths. Drool seeped out of her mouth, and her face shone.

“T-Touko-san,” mumbled Kyouko.

Touko looked at Kyouko and opened her mouth, like she meant to say something, but then she shut it. Her expression turned coquettish. She steeped her digits in saliva mixed with Kyouko’s lubricant, slid her index finger into Kyouko and pumped it in and out. Kyouko retaliated with the same movement, jerking her hips, squeezing Touko’s digit with her muscles.

However, Touko was still able to withdraw her finger, and she returned it into Kyouko along with another, palm facing up. Kyouko’s face screwed with exertion, and her trembling intensified as Touko curled her digits upward, hitting against Kyouko’s inner walls. Touko lowered her head and slurped, touching down on Kyouko’s clit and then flicking at the hood. Her tongue alternated between taps and drawing wobbly lines around the area, but she visited her clit with more frequency, more quickly each time, until her tongue was swirling and her fingers were twitching in a rhythm that built up and up and up in Kyouko’s core and feet, until her legs went numb.

To give her tongue a break, Touko let her neck lead her movements rather than manipulate her tongue around, but she didn’t need to depend on it for long. Kyouko arched her back. Heat in Kyouko’s centre, in the soles of her feet, crept up her legs until all of her lower body tingled, burning, growing until the sensation exploded and filled her body in lightning fast, lightning hot waves. Her walls tightened around Touko’s digits, fast and again and again. She yelled out and jerked her hips against Touko’s face, holding her hair in a painfully tight fist, a twitchy mess.

The feeling ebbed away. Kyouko’s grip slackened and she gave Touko’s head a feeble push.

“D-Darling,” said Touko, but not to Kyouko. Touko sat up, slouching forward.

They weren’t the only two people there. Right. Of course. Once strength had returned to Kyouko’s arms, she heaved her upper body up a bit. In front of her, Touko, holding onto Kyouko’s legs, teetered as she tried to buck as much as she could while in Byakuya’s hold. Her hands slipped off Kyouko and thumped onto the bed, but Touko didn’t falter. She huffed, shoulders bouncing, cheeps and moans popping out of her as Byakuya’s mouth drove her into a toe-curling scream.

Touko slid forward off Byakuya’s face. He let go of her hips and rose, shining one of his insufferable smirks at them.

“Don’t go to sleep yet,” he said.

A few seconds passed. Kyouko hadn’t even begun to try to work out what he meant, but Touko crawled out from between Kyouko’s splayed legs and settled in front of Byakuya. The sound of giggling brought Kyouko some way out of her daze. She sat up, head spinning, and investigated, though Touko’s backside blocked a lot of her view.

Not that it was a bad view.

Byakuya elevated his hips so Touko could pull his trousers down. Yes, he hadn’t taken them off yet, Kyouko remembered now. The bed creaked. He shuffled back and rose higher onto his knees so he could get them off completely. Touko stroked his crotch, which seemed to have got excited from arousing his wife.

Very excited.

Also - Kyouko leaned forward and squinted - did he seriously have his family crest printed onto the front of his underwear? Though Touko’s fingers were in the way, she recognised the symbol from official Togami Conglomerate documents. She snorted, attracting the narrowed eyes of both Byakuya and Touko.

Neither asked what Kyouko had found funny, which was for the best. Byakuya let Touko push him onto his back. When he lay flat, her hand glided over to his crotch and she whipped her head around to stare at Kyouko.

“I need all of the milk from my darling’s flesh saber, so you can have his face,” said Touko bluntly. 

She turned back to Byakuya.

“Flesh saber?” Kyouko gawked.

Touko whined and glared at Kyouko from over her shoulder. “It’s mine! Got it? You can use his face. B-Byakuya-sama’s face! Sit on his face!”

Later, Kyouko would be surprised at Touko’s willingness to share her husband so intimately, but Kyouko had different priorities right now.

“Won’t that crush him?” she asked.

“He,” said Byakuya, “will be fine.”

Taking his word for it, Kyouko crawled over to his head. Byakuya stared up at her, flushed and upside-down in her vision, not breaking eye contact as Touko wiggled down his underwear. Kyouko glanced away and peeped over at Touko’s hand, wrapped around his erect length.

It took Kyouko a few seconds to process that she was actually looking at Byakuya’s penis. Her eyes wandered up to his pubic hair but flicked back quickly. To his penis. Touko, facing them, positioned herself on his lap, her legs either side of him. Even though Byakuya was already hard, Touko didn’t descend onto it immediately. She ran her hands down his chest and when she reached his length, she tugged on it, earning some quiet groans from her husband, and played with it in her fist, smirking.

A bead of something clear formed on the head of his length. After Touko had drawn that out of him, she slid her fist to his base and carefully lowered herself onto him, her other hand on his chest for support. Once she fitted the tip in, she took her hand off his length and put it down in front of her, groaning as he entered her more.

“Oi, Kirigiri,” said Byakuya, and he reached over his head, grabbing her legs. Kyouko blinked, then, realising, she shuffled over his face and let him position her legs either side of his head, the mental image of the part of his body now embedded in Touko still imprinted on her mind. 

He tugged on her, downward this time, so her lower lips hovered over his face, not touching. She vaguely expected him to close the gap and lick her, but to her surprise, his lips tapped against Kyouko’s folds. A shaky moan staggered out of Kyouko as he pecked on her already wet, already sensitive zone, his hands firm and his tongue protruding very slightly. After every few kisses, his mouth teased her inner thighs before returning to her centre, and she was quaking by the time he bit on her leg.

Kyouko yelped and twitched. His grip strengthened and he showed mercy with a long lick where she wanted him. Touko watched them with a smirk and shifted in what would be the first of several bounces, starting slow, body tilted forward a bit. Skin slapped skin as she pounded down on him. 

Despite the jostling, Byakuya managed to keep the movements of his tongue stable, tracing around where Touko had licked. Initially light and feathery, his strokes grew harder, soon circling Kyouko’s clit but not touching. Not yet.

Her skin prickled and unable to help herself, Kyouko pushed into him and ground against his face. No longer did she care or think much about crushing him. She felt his lips and tongue thrash against her, then vibrations too. The consequent moan from Kyouko drew Touko’s attention, who dropped down onto him from a bounce but didn’t rise again. Instead, she began grinding against him too. Both women panted and groaned, and Kyouko’s noises shot up in pitch when his tongue slithered into her.

He hoisted Kyouko up a bit and gasped. Breathing loudly through his nose, he thrust his tongue into her, over and over, squirming almost as much as Kyouko. 

Touko squeezed one of his thighs and massaged it, watching them closely and stirring her hips in small circles. Not looking away, she took hold of one of Byakuya’s hands, laced their fingers together, and with a small tug, brought his hand to her lips. She gifted him a kiss on the back of his hand and untangled their fingers, not to let go of him entirely but so she could suck on one, and she rocked against him again, at first slow but then speeding up. 

Kyouko clenched her jaw and shifted her hips, angling her clit closer to his mouth. His tongue stroked along her broadly, finishing at her clit which he toyed with. Her legs wobbled and she sat on him again, wiggling as he toiled away on her pleasure zones.

The bed rasped as Touko rose off Byakuya’s length, but she didn’t seem to be dripping anything that he produced, so they couldn’t be done. She replaced the snug grip that her insides had been exerting on him with a clammy hand, and smeared his head with her juices. Kyouko watched, unable to tell what was wetter: the lips on Touko’s face and her chin, her other set of lips, or Byakuya’s length, which slid against Touko with little friction.

He nipped at her gently. A bolt of pleasure shot up Kyouko, reminding her that her own wetness was a strong contender too.

“M-My darling feels incredible, doesn’t he?” asked Touko breathlessly. Her face twitched at a particular rub against her clit.

As loath as she was to admit this, Kyouko had to give credit where credit was due and nodded weakly.

“Y-You’re facing the wrong way,” Touko informed her. “The, ah, o-other way, he can please your pleasure button with the bridge of his nose... I only sit that way when we sixty-nine...”

This was the position that Byakuya brought Kyouko into, and one that let Kyouko be audience to Touko’s reactions, so that along with Byakuya’s proficiency despite him not being able to use his nose to its full potential led Kyouko to staying as she was.

It turned out that Touko playing with the head of his length would only be a short-lived activity. Unable to help herself, she took him inside of herself again, slamming into him. Byakuya twitched and choked, fumbling as he searched for something of Touko to hold. His hips shot up with significantly less force than Touko exerted, so Kyouko didn’t find herself uncomfortable from being bumped too hard, and he could still tend to Kyouko with some dexterity. He licked between Kyouko’s folds and finding her clit, he drew her between his lips and hummed, jerking his hips slightly off sync with Touko’s movements. 

While Touko had been uncoordinated, most likely due to inexperience, her brazen approach had dazzled Kyouko. Byakuya, more controlled, seemed to know the best corners and spots to maneuver his tongue, that made her twitch and gasp, and he did that solely with his mouth, hands preoccupied with Touko. Kyouko couldn’t decide whose mouth and hands she preferred. 

Despite their different techniques, familiar warmth pooled in Kyouko’s lower body, and though she had been trying to put off the inevitable for as long as she could, Byakuya gave her clit a bite and a repetition of licks that had her arch her back, unleashing the sensation in her core in waves that left her in spasms for the second time that evening.

When the heat in her crotch burned to a crisp, she slid backward off Byakuya, legs spread apart. Her back pressed against the bed headboard and stuck to it, her sweat like glue. She gazed at Byakuya. His face bore a shine which wasn’t strictly sweat. He tasted as much as he could with his tongue, his eyes half-shut and unfocused. Touko now had full access to Byakuya and gladly took advantage of this, tipping her body forward. With a grin, she cupped one of his hands around her breast.

Byakuya squeezed it. She mewled happily and continued bouncing on him. They were so absorbed in the other, in their breaths, in the beats of their eyelashes and in the lips that mouthed each other’s names, that Kyouko couldn’t help but feel a twinge that didn’t hurt now but might in the morning. The next person to reach breaking point was Touko, loudly, spurring Byakuya on to thrust into her harder, his hands being the only thing to stop Touko from launching off him. He groaned and judging by how he tensed and the face he pulled, less than a minute after Touko, he came to a finish.

Touko didn’t get off right away, even continuing to move up and down a bit. When she did climb off, a thick, milky substance leaked out from between her legs, same as the one that slicked his length. 

She flopped down onto his chest. He wrapped an arm around her and shut his eyes.

This seemed to be Kyouko’s cue to leave, and she started to rise.

“S-Stop wiggling,” said Touko. Kyouko hesitated. For a moment, she thought Touko was talking to Byakuya, but then Touko squinted and said, “J-Just lie down and go to sleep already.”

Seeing that Byakuya was already lying down, Touko could only have been talking to Kyouko, so Kyouko grasped the duvet, which had been kicked into a pile at the foot of the bed, and hauled it over them. Her body felt aflame so she didn’t think that she needed it and she doubted that the other two did either, but she still hauled the duvet over the three of them and settled against the other side of Byakuya to Touko.

“Too bright,” mumbled Byakuya, but he managed to drift off to sleep without the lights being switched off. Kyouko knew because he snored.

With Touko, it was harder to tell, but Kyouko guessed she fell asleep not long after he did. The fact that Byakuya snored brought a smile to Kyouko’s face, even if it meant that even though her eyes kept creeping shut, she stayed awake for some time after them.

But exhaustion is indiscriminate with whom it takes prisoner, and she eventually succumbed to it also.

* * *

 

Well, for a while.

Kyouko awoke to a loud gasp. Byakuya twitched once, breathing loudly, and didn’t sleep for some time. When his snores resumed, Kyouko rested her hand on his chest, next to Touko’s, and waited for herself to follow suit.


	6. More Than You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big warning for abuse/mentioned csa in the last part of the chapter.
> 
> Also if any of this makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to talk in depth (or at all) about it. I love detailed comments but would prefer you not talk about it if it's something you'd rather not talk about.

Pale sky looked in through the window. Kyouko groaned quietly as she sat up. The corner of the duvet closest to Kyouko flopped over her lap, exposing her nudity from the waist up. She turned away from the window, holding her head, and saw Byakuya and Touko cuddling beside her, both asleep and seemingly naked too. For a moment, she was confused, because they shouldn’t have been in her bed, but then she realised that she wasn’t in her bed. 

Then she remembered the previous night.

Kyouko cringed so hard that she thought that at least one of them would jolt awake, but perhaps for the best, they didn’t stir. That gave her more time to process what happened. More time to think what to say. What to feel.

Hers insides wrung. She didn’t want to think about any of that for now, so she lay down again and tried to go back to sleep, but she was still awake when her phone chirped from over by the table where they played Monopoly. Someone had sent her a text. As much as she wanted to ignore it, it could have been something important, so she forced herself to sit up, swing her legs over the side of the bed and lumber over so she could check her phone.

It was almost noon. She opened up the message, sent by Makoto.

**‘Did you have fun?’**

Oh, boy.

And good question.

Kyouko switched the screen off without replying to him. 

She gathered up her clothes and dressed herself. Afterwards, she stared at her phone’s black screen, knowing that she should probably answer, but a groan from behind her gave Kyouko an excuse to postpone working out an answer and she turned around.

One of them shifted. The snoring had stopped.

“Good morning, Togami-kun,” she said quietly, so as not to wake Touko.

Byakuya grumbled. Kyouko wondered if he would ignore her and go back to sleep, but he forced himself to sit up. He rubbed his eyes, expression pinched, and then all of a sudden, he froze.

If Kyouko was to guess, she would say this was the moment when the events of last night passed through the cloud of sleep in his mind.

“Kirigiri,” he said, meeting her gaze, and he lowered his hands to his lap. “We should talk.”

She nodded but didn’t walk over. Byakuya waved toward the end of the bed, and that was harder to pretend wasn’t an instruction, so she came over and sat down where he indicated. He twisted toward the bedside drawer and leaned over to open it. From it, he got out a pair of glasses identical to the ones that he usually wore, and he put them on.

His gaze returned to Kyouko. The duvet covered his lower half, so while Kyouko couldn’t see between his legs, his top half remained on full display. She dragged her gaze from his lap up to his face, framed by unbrushed hair.

Despite his suggestion that they talk, neither said anything for a while.

“... I didn’t anticipate that happening,” he finally admitted.

“Me neither,” said Kyouko. She clasped her knees, legs hanging off the bed. “Do you regret it?”

Even though she told herself that she shouldn’t and wouldn’t care if he did, she braced herself for his answer. Byakuya swept some hair away from his eyes, prolonging the uncomfortable pause.

“There are very few things that I regret,” he said, which wasn’t exactly promising. He hesitated. “This... isn’t necessarily one of them.”

“Necessarily?”

Byakuya’s eyes strayed to Touko. Kyouko looked at her as well, but she didn’t rest a hand on Touko’s shoulder like he did.

“Touko-san seemed to enjoy it,” remarked Kyouko. She let go of her knees and balled her hands into fists on her lap. “I didn’t expect either of you to be into...”

The rest of the sentence tingled on her lips.

He furrowed his brow. “Into what?”

Kyouko lightly scraped her lips with her teeth.

“Touko-san is quite possessive of you,” said Kyouko carefully. “A threesome... isn’t something I would think either of you would be up for.”

Byakuya frowned. 

“That’s your fault for making assumptions about us,” he said, sticking up his nose. “Neither of us are from nuclear families, and strictly speaking, we are already in a polygamous relationship.”

Her eyebrows rose and she straightened. “You are?”

“With Syo,” he clarified quickly. All surprise disappeared from Kyouko. “You will have noticed that she doesn’t front as much as Touko, but don’t think that she doesn’t front at all. She gave me her scissors as some sort of peace offering a while back. Usually, she fronts when Touko is stressed, or when they decide to switch. They leave notes for the other to read and agree that way...”

“I see,” said Kyouko, deciding she didn’t need to know more. If it worked, it worked.

He seemed to decide the same and clicked his tongue. “However, this has been our first one with more than two bodies present... but none of that is relevant.”

Byakuya rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes.

“I expected more from you, as a detective, yet here you are, creating pieces of a puzzle about my life even though pieces already exist, just because you don’t know everything,” he said. He folded his arms over his chest. “And you’re acting like we asked you to join us in marriage. We were drunk, and Touko...”

It was his turn to trail off but unlike Kyouko, who now pushed her lips to one side, he didn’t need her to prompt him to continue talking. He did so on his own accord.

“... she would have to be an idiot to leave me for someone else,” he finished quietly. “Even if she isn’t only theoretically interested in men...”

“What?” interrupted Kyouko. Byakuya shot her a dirty look, but she paid it no heed. “Touko-san’s...?”

“Bisexual,” he said.

He cupped his hands around the back of his head and reclined onto his back.

“We discussed a few hypothetical situations and came to that conclusion,” he said, staring up at the ceiling, but then he peered over at Kyouko. “Though, really, I doubt anyone in our class was heterosexual.”

Kyouko tilted her head to one side. “Even you?”

“If I said I doubted it, then obviously I’m including myself. I’m not interested in people like that most of the time, but some people... aren’t so bad,” he said, sounding thoughtful at the end. “Theoretically.”

“Like who?” she said, unable to help herself. “Naegi?”

Revulsion contorted Byakuya’s features.

“... You’re fortunate that I haven’t eaten yet,” he told her coldly.

“Hagakure?”

“Are you just saying names at random?” He sat up again and lifted a hand. “There was a student at the same university as me in America who I became acquaintances with, and on one occasion, we touched ourselves on a video call after I returned to Japan. Touko was with me, and she used to teach him Japanese over video call before that.”

Kyouko’s eyebrows shot up. “How did that happen?”

“We’re both attractive men,” said Byakuya, “and Touko and him discussed us putting on a small show as something for us to try. It was a one-time thing.”

Byakuya coughed into a fist. Being in different countries must have put Touko at some ease.

“But anyway... I don’t have any deep interest in anyone like that apart from Touko,” he said, and Kyouko wasn’t curious enough to push him for more details on such an unexpected story. He turned toward the window. “More importantly, if Touko was a man, I feel like I would have taken to her still. Same with her to me in a similar situation, but we agreed that we would have both needed more time in those cases.”

Ah yes. Compulsory heterosexuality. Kyouko couldn't help but wonder what else the couple talked about when alone.

Conversation dried up and Byakuya stared out at the early morning sky, wrapped up in his own thoughts. With him seemingly preoccupied, Kyouko could withdraw into herself and examine the itch at the back of her mind. Last night scratched against her inner walls. Kyouko’s thoughts swirled around, memories of warm palms and slippery lips and tongues that didn’t drip just saliva, of shining eyes and throbbing flesh.

Her legs gave a jerk and she pulled herself out of those thoughts, blaming the other two for them. They were both nuisances, honestly. She focused on Byakuya again, though he hadn’t really ever left her attention. After all, among other things, some of those hands had been his.

“You didn’t plan on this happening, did you?” she asked.

He emitted a short hum and turned back to her. “What? The threesome?”

She nodded.

“Of course not,” he said. “From the moment I invited you to my room a few days ago to after you arrived there, I only intended for us to play Monopoly.”

Kyouko quirked her brow. “Really?”

Byakuya scowled. 

“Of course. Do I seem like a sex maniac to you?” he asked.

He didn’t, but that was the point.

“You may have thought that I had other motives, but I did not. That’s all on you,” said Byakuya. “When the chances arises, I like to play a round with Touko, Pennyworth and any of my staff that may be nearby.”

“You don’t have sex with them too, do you?” she deadpanned.

“No.” Byakuya’s nose wrinkled, and his glare had almost enough force to fling her off the bed. Almost. She stayed as she was. “This thing that happened, I decided to go along with it as it happened, though I can’t say if I would have let things escalate as they did if I was sober. Really, I wonder...” 

He cupped his chin and it might have just been the angle, but he seemed to smile or at least smirk. His eyes didn’t indicate a corresponding emotion, however.

“... I wonder if you masterminded it,” he said.

Kyouko didn’t reply.

“You must have had some motive to try to arrange this in the first place,” he explained. “Was it really because you wanted to be our friends, or were you looking to move on from Maizono?”

Much to her disgust, heat flushed into her face, but she managed to control herself beyond flaring her nostrils.

“Didn’t you just accuse me of jumping to conclusions?” she asked, thankfully with a steady voice. “It sounds as though you’re seeing your reflection in me, like a dirty pot confronted by a polished kettle.”

He adjusted his glasses. His mouth opened. Touko snorted and Byakuya froze. She breathed evenly, and his shoulders lowered.

“And what about Touko-san?” asked Kyouko, quieter.

“Touko didn’t plan this either. I know that she has said sexual things toward you before that, but again, those two incidents don’t contradict each other. What I said now and what I said about her past is all true. They can co-exist,” he said.

“I see. Thank you,” said Kyouko. She turned on the screen on her phone, saw the time flash up and switched it off again.

Byakuya clicked his tongue and said, “Don’t flatter yourself by thinking that I’m secretly in love with you.”

That was a weird thing to blurt out, but she didn’t need to think how to respond because someone rapped on the door.

“Hey, are you up?” asked a familiar voice. 

Kyouko’s eyebrows squished together as she tried to place a face to it.

“I’m awake,” replied Byakuya without shouting. Touko was silent beside him. “What is it that you need which you feel warrants disturbing me from my sleep, Yukizome?”

“Were you still asleep?” asked Yukizome, presumably. “I thought I heard voices. My most heartfelt apologies for waking you, but it’s urgent.”

“Oh?” said Byakuya with only faint interest.

“You have an important visitor coming over in little over an hour, and you can’t still be in bed when he comes. What sort of impression would that give?” said Yukizome.

Her tone sounded almost chiding, and when Kyouko went to imagine a silhouette wagging a finger at him, the image of a thrashing feather duster entered Kyouko’s mind instead. Now she recognised who the voice belonged to. It was the maid who got Anastazja’s personal number for her.

“They can wait for me to be ready,” said Byakuya, and he crossed one leg over the other.

“Are you going to say that to your father when he arrives?” asked Yukizome.

Kyouko looked at Byakuya’s face. He stiffened.

“My father is coming?” he said.

“Yup! He phoned this morning ahead of his visit, and he plans to say until after dinner,” explained Yukizome. “So you better get up, Togami-sama!”

“I will,” said Byakuya, but judging by the tone that Yukizome adopted, his promise didn’t appease her.

“Sorry about this, Togami-sama, but you need to get up right now,” she said. “One...”

Kyouko blinked.

“... Two...”

Kyouko realised.

“Three!”

Byakuya wrenched the duvet and heaved it over Kyouko, shoving her down as he did so. That was bad enough, but then he lay on top of her. She heard a bang from the direction of the door as Yukizome entered with vigor. The fact that the duvet didn’t lie flat beneath him would have been enough to tip Yukizome off, but the yelp that burst out of her was not one caused by the discovery of a third person.

“Oh! I didn’t realise!” apologised Yukizome.

Kyouko felt Byakuya get off her. He tugged on the duvet as he tried to shield his crotch from view, but he didn’t pull hard enough to reveal Kyouko. She tensed anyway.

“Did my father say why he’s coming?” asked Byakuya, in business-mode even if he wasn’t dressed for it.

“Oh... Um, no idea,” Yukizome said weakly. “Maybe he just wants to say hello?”

She ended her question with a burst of nervous laughter.

“Perhaps,” he said without any conviction. “I wish to get changed now, so leave. I want tea to be ready for when he arrives, as well as something light to eat.”

“Of course,” replied Yukizome, and seconds later, the door closed.

To be on the safe side, Kyouko waited a bit longer, and then she poked her head out. She hadn’t been under for long, but the air felt cool and refreshing against her face. The duvet fell away from her and Byakuya pulled on it some more to cover his lap. He twisted around and pressed his back against the headboard of the bed.

Kyouko watched the movement and in doing so, glimpsed Touko’s nude body before Byakuya dragged the duvet over her. Touko yawned and rubbed her eyes. With her eyes still mostly shut, she lifted her head and dropped it onto his lap, positioning her fists by her eyes and hiding a good part of her face. 

A small smile crept onto Byakuya’s lips as he stared down at her.

“I’m surprised you let a maid talk to you like that,” Kyouko remarked.

He blinked and took his eyes off Touko, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“It felt playful,” explained Kyouko.

“She called me Togami-sama,” he pointed out.

“And barged into your room while you were naked, yet you didn’t scold her. It felt almost familial.”

Byakuya nudged up his glasses and didn’t lower his hand afterwards, peering over at the door.

“... I suppose. At times, Yukizome reminds me of my sister,” he said, eyes unfocused.

“I see.”

He turned toward her with none of the warmth that he had shown his wife. Frost sheathed him like a coat of armour. “You best go. Touko and I have to get ready.”

Kyouko had hoped to talk more, particularly with Touko who hadn’t been awake enough to contribute to their previous conversations, but she nodded and slunk out without another word, without looking back.

* * *

 

Not long after Kyouko lay down on her bed in her own room, eyes cast up to the ceiling, someone knocked on her door.

She sat up. “Come in.”

A maid that wasn’t Yukizome peeped in. This maid had short silver hair close to blond and a stern face that if someone told Kyouko the maid was related to Byakuya, Kyouko might have believed them. Like most of the other maids, she wore monochrome - a black button up pinafore dress, a white shirt, a white apron and a black tie. Yukizome was an outlier, having blue where the others had black, and no tie.

“When I came here earlier, you were away,” said the maid, holding her hands down in front of her. “Where were you, may I ask?”

The maid had already asked anyway.

“Out,” said Kyouko nonchalantly. “Doing some queries.”

“I see,” said the maid, her expression unreadably blank to a professional level. She couldn’t be any older than Kyouko. “You might not be aware, then, but the master’s father will be here in an hour.”

“Oh?” said Kyouko in her best impression of surprise. “Thank you for informing me of that.”

“You don’t understand.” The maid shook her head. “Your presence is required. It was requested, in fact. I’ve been asked to ensure you were notified of this, as well as check that you have something suitable to wear.”

Kyouko led the maid to her wardrobe and feeling the maid’s eyes drill into the back of her, she skimmed her fingers across the different outfits hung up. The situation called for something formal, but Kyouko hadn’t packed anything that she thought Byakuya would deem appropriate. Or more importantly, that his father would deem appropriate. A white blouse, black skirt and purple jacket combination crossed her mind, but as she reached for the hanger, the maid spoke up.

“You didn’t bring a dress?” she asked. Kyouko became still.

“I didn’t anticipate being called on at such short notice for something like this,” said Kyouko. She turned around and folded her arms over her chest.

The maid positioned her hand under her chin and bobbed her head in agreement. “That’s reasonable. Togami-sama’s father doesn’t usually make house visits. He tends to announce his visit the day before or on the day itself. So I’m told.”

She eyed up Kyouko.

“You’re taller than Togami-san, and your bust is a bit bigger than hers, I think, but there should be something that will fit you,” said the maid, and she paused. The delay gave Kyouko a moment to realise that the maid was talking about Touko, not Byakuya, and she blinked when the maid clapped. “First, though, you need to bathe.”

Kyouko suspected that if she hadn’t shut the bathroom door in the maid’s face and locked it, the maid would have gone in too. Her ensuite bathroom consisted of a single room, lacking an entrance room to undress in. There were hooks to hang up clothes, and on a rail, towels that she knew to be soft, and the choice of a deep bathtub or a shower in a cubicle.

“I’ll just go get the dress you’ll be wearing,” the maid said loudly through the door. “Don’t be long, please.”

From checking her phone before and after her shower, Kyouko knew she spent fifteen minutes washing herself, and she emerged from the bathroom in two towels. A dress was already set out on the bed and a pair of high heels waited at the foot on the floor. Kyouko retrieved a hairdryer from underneath her bed and blew on her hair, using a comb to straighten out any tangles.

Her thoughts drifted to Byakuya’s father, Kijou. He didn’t attend his son’s graduations. He didn’t attend his son’s wedding. He didn’t attend his son’s anniversary party. Someone else had answered Kyouko’s attempts to call him with promises that they didn’t keep. Kyouko suspected he hadn’t attended many things that parents ought to.

She hadn’t finished drying her hair when someone rapped on the door, and she decreased the setting on the hairdryer so they would hear each other better.

“Who is it?” Kyouko called out.

“Chisa Yukizome! Acting Head Butler. I got you Togami-sama’s mother’s contact details for you, remember?” she said. “I’m here to escort you to the right drawing room.”

“I remember,” replied Kyouko. She turned the hairdryer off and laid it down next to her.

“Do you need help with makeup?” asked Chisa. “That’s why I’m here, actually. I brought some with me and thought I’d touch you up a bit, if that’s okay with you.”

“That would be helpful,” confessed Kyouko. Usually, Sayaka did it for her. Had done it for her. Then, remembering what happened earlier, she added, “I’m not dressed though, so please don’t come in yet.”

“Okay, but be quick,” chirped Chisa.

Kyouko didn’t want to risk being too slow, so she wrapped her hair in a towel and put on the dress. Once it was on, she studied her reflection in the full-length mirror in her bedroom, slowly shifting her body to view it at different angles. Her wine purple, satin cocktail dress. She fixed the straps so her bra didn’t show, and then she locked eyes with herself, not smiling.

“Can I come in?” asked Chisa.

“Yes,” said Kyouko.

The door swung open immediately, like Chisa had been waiting while holding the handle, and she brought in a silver bag that turned partially rainbow in places when in the right light. By the hand, Chisa led Kyouko to the end of her bed. Kyouko let Chisa seat her and remained still as Chisa unzipped her bag and applied makeup, stooped down in front of Kyouko, brow furrowed and a bit of tongue poking out.

She didn’t know how much time passed, barely blinking while Chisa toiled away on her face, until finally, Chisa straightened up and beamed. “Look in the mirror.”

Chisa gestured toward the mirror behind her, and Kyouko walked over to inspect Chisa’s handiwork, finding that Chisa had done a good job. More than good, actually. In general, Kyouko didn’t wear much makeup. Foundation, lipstick, maybe mascara. Those were present now, along with eyeliner, a faint blush dusted across her cheeks and a hint of bronze on her eyelids. Kyouko raised her hand to her cheek but did not touch.

Behind her, with a small but warm smile, Chisa dipped her hand down the top of her apron. She drew out something golden, and Kyouko watched the mirror as Chisa revealed it to be the chain of a necklace. 

A purple diamond, bordered by smaller, translucent white ones, swayed gently on it, rotating from side-to-side as Chisa dangled the necklace. Chisa draped it around Kyouko’s neck and after some fiddling, she secured it at the back. Her hands grasped Kyouko’s shoulders and she brought her head beside Kyouko’s.

“Ha... It’s really pretty,” said Chisa quietly, cheeks rosy. “Togami-sama asked me to give it to you. He said it would suit you.”

Kyouko blinked and peered down as she brushed a finger against the purple diamond.

“But don’t get too attached to it. He’ll be wanting it back,” said Chisa. She squeezed Kyouko’s shoulders before letting go of them and stepping back. “Come with me, please.”

Chisa led the way, with Kyouko walking a pace behind and to the side of her. They arrived at a lounge that could only be considered small when compared to the rest of the manor. Presently, only Touko was in there, sitting on a couch, cradling a china cup. She wore a dark green dress with off the shoulder straps, and like Kyouko, also had a necklace, but hers didn’t have a chain. Or if it did, it was hidden in the cluster of purple jasper stones around her neck.

“Togami-sama will be here with his father soon,” promised Chisa. “Please help yourself to refreshments.”

Neither responded. She wiggled her fingers in a wave and hurried off, closing the door behind herself.

Kyouko stood still for a few more seconds before she strode over to Touko and sat down beside her. More silence. Touko stared into space, though her eyes had flickered when Kyouko came into the room.

On the coffee table in front of them was a tray with blobs of tuna atop sheets of seaweed, lined up neatly. The seaweed resembled green plastic that a piece of candy might come wrapped in, both in appearance and size. Judging by the uniform layout of the snacks and the same-sized gaps between them, Touko had yet to eat any. She periodically sipped tea that came from the pot on the coffee table, where there were three empty cups currently not in use.

“Does Togami-kun’s father usually come at such short notice?” asked Kyouko.

“Yes.” Touko placed her cup onto the table and laced her fingers together, looking like she had just sucked juice from a lemon. “Byakuya’s father doesn’t run the conglomerate, but he hasn’t retired. He gives a lot of advice and still has a lot of influence. N-Not that Byakuya needs it... My darling knows what he’s doing.”

“Right,” said Kyouko, more in acknowledgement than in agreement. She glanced around and confirming that they were alone, she pointed her knees at Touko and then turned the rest of her body toward her. “While it’s just us two, I wondered if we could discuss last night.”

Touko’s shoulders twitched. Her hands almost ripped apart from each other by the force of her jolt. “Huh?”

Kyouko tucked some hair behind her ear.

“It doesn’t have to be now,” said Kyouko. Talking about it later would probably be for the best anyway, as Kyouko didn’t know if the colour on her cheeks that would inevitably surface would fade by the time the others showed up.

“Last night,” mumbled Touko. She chewed on a thumbnail. Her brow creased. “It... was a dream.”

“What?” Kyouko narrowed her eyes.

“W-What?” Touko retorted, slamming her wide eyes onto Kyouko. Her hand flew away from her mouth and hovered over her chest with her other one. “Last night... was a dream.”

“You mean the monopoly game and what followed after?” asked Kyouko. 

Touko squeaked and turned her back to Kyouko, hunched over. 

Kyouko cocked her head to one side. “You didn’t dream any of that, Touko-san.”

“I must have,” said Touko, her voice muffled by her thumb which she must have brought back to her lips.

“You didn’t,” replied Kyouko firmly, feeling a twinge in her chest. She hesitated but ultimately rested a hand on Touko’s shoulder. Touko stiffened, but Kyouko didn’t remove her hand. “Like I said, we don’t have to talk about it now.”

“Yet you are!” Touko hissed, and she jerked away from Kyouko’s hold, glaring at her from over her shoulder.

Kyouko’s hand prickled and she inhaled, but before she could retaliate, she heard the door open. They turned to the source of the noise. Byakuya stepped into the room with a man who Kyouko had only seen in print. Thin black streaks peeked out from his silver hair, and his skin, though leathery, didn’t have as many wrinkles as one of his age might have.

The man, with his hands buried in his pockets, glanced at Touko, who repositioned herself so she sat straight and properly. His cold gaze moved onto Kyouko next. She reciprocated. Last of all, he looked at Byakuya. 

“Who is that other woman?” asked the man, squinting harshly behind his rectangular glasses.

“That’s Kyouko Kirigiri,” Byakuya clarified, his hands behind his back. He turned to Kyouko and regarded her coolly. “The detective working on the case.”

Thick, triangular eyebrows gathered in on the man’s face and he sneered. “Of course. It would be too much to hope that you came to your senses.”

One of Byakuya’s eyes gave a telltale spasm.

“Well?” said the man. “Aren’t you going to introduce us properly, Byakuya?”

“This is my father, Kijou Togami.” Byakuya motioned to him briefly. Kijou puffed out his chest, staring at Kyouko. “Togami-sama, this is an old acquaintance from school, Kyouko Kirigiri, formerly known as the Super High School Level Detective. She’s the person that I hired to investigate the murders.”

Kijou raised his hand and for a moment, Kyouko thought he wanted to instigate a handshake, but it turned out that he merely adjusted his tie. She rubbed her ear instead.

“So that’s her,” said Kijou. Whatever he meant by that, Kyouko didn’t know for sure, but she didn’t like how he said it. “You got my hopes up, having another female here.”

Touko clamped her teeth together tightly. Kyouko snuck a glance her way and noticed Touko’s fists trembling on her lap.

“Any child that Touko and I produce will be a worthy successor of the Togami line,” said Byakuya stiffly.

“You better hope so,” said Kijou.

Byakuya pushed up his glasses. “I know so.”

Silence intruded on them. Kijou turned away first, but Kyouko didn’t get the impression that he lost the stand off between himself and his son. He possessed the power to snuff it out, and he sat down on an armchair.

“I’d like some tea,” said Kijou.

When he made the demand, he had been looking at Touko, but Byakuya poured him some instead. Without a thank you, Kijou took the cup and downed a draught of it, watching his son pour tea into the other cups. Touko had hers refilled and afterwards, Byakuya put the pot down onto the table and sat next to her, so Touko was flanked by him and Kyouko.

“So.” Kijou helped himself to some tuna and seaweed. He curled the seaweed around the tuna and bit into it with a crunch. Only once he finished it did he finally speak again. “Kirigiri, was it?”

Kyouko acknowledged him with a curt nod.

Kijou leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers. His eyes were steely, but not in colour. “Give me an account of what happened at Byakuya’s party.”

She warmed her mouth with tea and said, “To celebrate their anniversary, Togami-kun and Touko-san held a party where he invited his family and the families of various business partners and high ups. You didn’t attend, and neither did Touko-san’s family.”

Touko fidgeted with her cup. Kijou’s face didn’t change and he waited for Kyouko to continue.

“Two hours into the party, the assassin fired the first shot. Ikari-san was shot three times. Panic spread. In the next minute, Shiba-san was the next victim, shot twice. Then Chiba-san, Iwasaki-san and Ueno-san. The assassin was spotted, security gave chase and then apprehended him. While this went on, Sugawara-san was murdered by someone else in a side room connected to the hall where the main part of the party took place. He died from a single shot to the head.”

“And whoever killed him, they escaped?” Touko piped up.

“No,” said Byakuya. He frowned at his cup. “At least, it would be virtually impossible. Security quickly blocked off all exits. Once lockdown started, no one could get in or out.”

“S-So... the assassin’s partner must not have left,” remarked Touko, wringing her hands together. “They waited until we all left...”

“The building was thoroughly searched during and after,” said Byakuya. “They found no one who shouldn’t be there.”

Touko tipped her head forward, fidgeting more. Kyouko’s cup clinked against her saucer.

“In regards to the assassin that they did manage to catch, he had a forged passport of a guest who ended up not going due to being in America, so that would explain how he got in. Presumably, his partner did the same,” said Kyouko. 

“Suspicious... That’s suspicious!” Touko said. She squeezed her hands together tightly. Her eyes darted between everyone. “If the hitmen could get in as guests who couldn’t attend but were invited, t-that means whoever hired them knew who would be in attendance and who wouldn’t.”

Kijou glanced at Touko with a bored expression and then turned his attention to Kyouko.

“I hope you have a lead, Kirigiri,” he said. “This was an embarrassing lapse in security for the conglomerate, and if it isn’t solved, then that will signal to those aware of it that infiltration is possible. What if that assassin had slain Byakuya?”

Just the suggestion made Touko look queasy. Kyouko cupped her chin.

“I would like to speak with the assassin again, as well as the person who he was going in the stead of,” she said. “I doubt that the assassin shot at people at random. They were spread out. Each victim must have been deliberate.”

Kyouko paused. No one else said anything. She scratched her chin lightly.

“Before the guests were released, they were questioned,” she said. Her eyes flitted over to Byakuya. “Correct?”

“That’s right,” replied Byakuya.

“Could the other killer have sat through an interview disguised as someone else?” she asked.

“It’s very unlikely.”

“Just very unlikely?”

Byakuya pursed his lips.

“Impossible,” he said, correcting himself. His face hardened. “The only people allowed to bring in a weapon were the bodyguards, and those weapons had to be checked in and were only used on the assassin. None were what was used on Sugawara. After the incident, everyone was thoroughly searched for a weapon as was the building, and no extra gun was found. Also, after realising that the first hitman had impersonated a guest, I made sure that everyone was who they were before they were allowed to leave, several hours later. You’ve seen the tapes, haven’t you?”

“I have,” said Kyouko, making a mental note note to review them again. Byakuya provided them to her shortly after her arrival to the manor, but she didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

“Missing murder weapon aside, that means it had to be a guest,” said Kijou, waving a hand.

Kyouko kept her gaze downward, in thought. “I don’t think we can ignore the fact that none of the guests were found with the murder weapon.”

“How can the gun just disappear though?” asked Touko. If she clasped her hands together any tighter, Kyouko wouldn’t have been surprised if she cut off blood circulation in them. “That’s impossible, isn’t it? It’s the sort of continuity error that you would find in a beginner’s story.”

“It’s not impossible,” said Kyouko. “If it was impossible, then it wouldn’t have happened.”

Her words stewed in their heads. Kijou drank the rest of his tea but kept hold of the saucer and cup.

“That will do for now,” said Kijou. He raised his voice, but didn’t shout. “You. Women. You can leave now. But I still want to talk to Byakuya.”

Touko clenched her jaw. Kijou ignored them, and only a look from Byakuya persuaded Touko to rise. The women filed out of the room. 

Outside, Chisa waited for them, and she greeted them with a nod. Kyouko shut the door behind herself and watched Touko take a few paces. Instead of following after Touko, Kyouko turned back to the door and pressed close to it. Touko, not hearing Kyouko’s footsteps, realised what Kyouko was doing and crept back, holding her breath. She glanced at Chisa and flapped her hand in a shooing motion.

Chisa nodded again, bowed and walked off loudly. 

Kyouko and Touko listened in.

“You could act a bit happier, you know. He’s dead. Isn’t that what you wanted, Byakuya? It seems like someone hated Sugawara more than you, unless you’re behind this.”

No answer. Slow pacing. Kijou heaved a sigh.

“Well, whoever it was, I suppose they did you a favour.”

Silence.

“Is that all you have to say about your friend?” Byakuya finally asked.

“He’s dead. He’s over and done with. Nothing can be done about that.”

“But you were friends with a man like that.”

“He was intelligent.”

“He was a disgusting, vile man.”

“Well, he had his oddities, but...”

“But what?” Byakuya hissed, and Kyouko imagined him gesticulating wildly. “Your friend violated me when I was a child!”

Kyouko’s heart sank. Her eyes widened. His voice shook Touko’s body and she seized hold of Kyouko’s upper arm.

“And how many years ago was that?” asked Kijou with a stark contrast of mild annoyance. “Byakuya, he’s dead now. You can let it go. I don’t see why you’re making a fuss about this now. It was all dragged up half a year ago when your wife overheard your little spat with him when we came to visit. I thought we moved past it then.”

“You insisted he stay around afterwards even after you found out about it.” Byakuya spoke through his teeth. “You invited him to my anniversary party, knowing what he did to me, even though you didn’t bother attending.” 

“Why are you blaming me for what happened to you? It’s not my fault. Besides, don’t you think you should have refused? Fought back? Unless you wanted to do it.”

“What sort of father are you?” Byakuya raised his voice. “What sort of man are you?”

A slap. A strangled yelp. Something hit the floor. Glasses. Byakuya’s glasses.

“Pull yourself together, Byakuya. You’ve become emotional since you coupled with that female. All eyes are on us and we can’t afford to show even a teardrop of weakness. Our enemies will feast on it. He’s dead. Now behave.”

Kyouko winced as Touko’s fingers dug in harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine that Kijou is the sort of person that Togami could have become, if he hadn't changed for the better.


	7. Afraid

Byakuya’s father didn’t stay the night. After dinner, he departed from the Togami manor in a sleek limousine where he could sit at the back by himself, with only the products of his success as company. Once he was gone, Byakuya retreated into his office, and Kyouko decided to give him some space after the tense, silent meal.

In any case, the next day preoccupied Kyouko, with reviewing evidence, comparing witness statements and following leads that came to brick walls, and they all paved the way to one individual: Byakuya.

He could easily have smuggled in the hitmen and helped one escape, but then Kyouko didn’t understand why he would hire her. Did he think she wouldn’t be able to do it? Was he messing with her, like he used to with some of their classmates? But he only had one known motive for one victim, and she didn’t understand why he would cause such a mess for himself.

Or it could have been a coincidence. Maybe. Unfortunately, Byakuya seemed wrapped up in video conferences for conglomerate business, not attending meals, and Kyouko was busy too, so she didn’t have the chance to question him.  During the next two late night sessions with Touko, she didn’t bring up what happened, not between Byakuya and his father or what happened between Byakuya, Touko and Kyouko, and Touko didn’t pursue the topic either. It felt white hot to touch, for now.

Two days after Kijou’s visit, Kyouko went down to breakfast and walked into an empty dining room. One of the maids waiting there flitted into the kitchen, returning to Kyouko with food. Kyouko started to eat, and part way through her hot chocolate and croissant, the door opened. She looked up.

“Good morning,” greeted Kyouko.

“Good morning,” parroted Touko, alone, and she sat opposite Kyouko. A maid soon brought out a similar breakfast for Touko, but the maid may as well have had blue skin for all the notice that Kyouko took of her.

Touko slowly ate a few mouthfuls.

“How did you sleep?” asked Kyouko.

“Enough,” said Touko, whether that meant in the number of hours or how soundly. Kyouko wasn’t sure.

Another mouthful.

“I haven’t seen Togami-kun much lately,” said Kyouko.

Touko grimaced, chewed a bit more and swallowed.

“He’s in his office. He had some food on a tray beside him when I popped in earlier,” she informed Kyouko, like she had a bad taste in her mouth.

“I see,” said Kyouko.

They ate. Next time, Touko picked up the conversation, if it could be called that.

“My darling is very busy and doesn’t want to be disturbed, so you know,” she said.

Kyouko nodded. “I will leave him alone then.”

After breakfast, Touko slipped away, and Kyouko didn’t give chase. She went to the Togami library  and used the login details that Byakuya had supplied her. Many of the folders stored on the server were passworded, but she had access to the tapes of the interviews that Byakuya supervised.

On her previous persuals, she had focused on those being interviewed, but now she turned her attention to those conducting the interviews. Alongside Byakuya, there was Pennyworth, both dressed in simple black suits, and interrogators that Kyouko knew the names of but little else. Byakuya occasionally asked questions, but the interrogator extracted the most information.

Going through all of them would take several hours, not accounting for pausing or rewatching certain bits again. Kyouko rested her chin in her palm and studied Byakuya, but his stoic demeanour didn’t throw anything his way that she considered suspicious.

She stopped around lunchtime, not at all finished, and headed to the dining room, where to her surprise, Touko was joined by not only Byakuya but Anastazja as well.

None of them greeted Kyouko, who sat down beside Touko. The table had been set but no food had been brought out. There was a jar, though, containing peaches floating in a pink liquid that Kyouko could see in the cup of the others. Kyouko used a dipper to get some into her cup and tasted it.

Lightly sweet. Pleasant. She drank some more.

“Do you like it?” asked Anastazja. Kyouko lowered the cup, cradling it in her hands.

“I do,” she said. “It’s refreshing.”

“It’s peach kompot,” said Anastazja.

Kyouko sipped approvingly.

Soon after, several maids served lunch, bringing out trays of various foods so that everyone could choose their own components and portions. There were soups of autumn hues, and as for the main course, there were soft steamed beef tongues, a meaty stew that contained sausages along with chunks of different animals, boiled beef in an off-white sauce, cabbage stuffed with meat and rice, and a platter of traditional breaded pork cutlets. For sides, they could help themselves to roast potatoes, french fries, rice and miscellaneous vegetables.

“If you want a safe option, I advise you go for the pork cutlets,” said Byakuya, pointing. Kyouko ignored him and spooned stew into her bowl, and she added some cabbage stuffed with meat to her plate before claiming a bowl of tomato soup for herself, which had noodles in it.

Byakuya chose a creamy green soup with egg in it and the stew as well, along with a small helping of vegetables. The other two women served themselves, and the meal officially started, cutlery working quietly and mouths chewing.

After a few mouthfuls of boiled beef, Touko picked up her soup spoon but didn’t dip it into her soup, which was the same as what Byakuya chose, but into Byakuya’s bowl. She presented the spoon to Byakuya, who opened his mouth without looking away from his food. Smiling, Touko tipped the contents in and replenished the spoon for the next go. Byakuya turned his head slightly and consumed the next several spoonfuls without complaint, holding but not using his spoon that he had barely fed himself with.

“Are your hands too tired to feed yourself?” asked Anastazja, who hadn’t eaten for a minute.

He furrowed his brow. Anastazja’s eyes darted toward Touko, who glowered.

“They’re not tired,” he told Anastazja, but he didn’t make any attempt to feed himself. Touko looked away from Anastazja and resumed feeding him.

“If your hands were too tired to feed yourself, then that would explain why you’ve lost a bit of weight, Byakuya,” said Anastazja. “Since I last saw you, I would say you have lost around eight pounds, which one would expect to lose in a month following a strict diet plan.”

“I’m not dieting,” said Byakuya. “I’ve just been preoccupied with work.”

“He doesn’t have to diet,” piped up Touko. She looked down and smirked slightly. “B-But... even if he was heavier... it wouldn’t matter to me. There would just be more of him for me to love.”

Anastazja pursed her lips.

The rest of the meal marched on with an uneasy sort of silence that despite its unwanted presence, no one asked it to leave the table. Touko fed Byakuya the rest of his soup, and then he returned the favour with her soup. Anastazja pointedly ignored them as Touko fed Byakuya his main course, alternating after every few feedings with Byakuya who did the same to her. They didn’t acknowledge Anastazja, or Kyouko, and Kyouko found herself watching the couple in small doses while she cleared her plate. Small smiles eased on their lips as they progressed through the meal together.

Kyouko felt full and warm by the time she finished her meal. However, the first to rise was Byakuya. A maid approached and stacked a tray with the dishes and utensils that he used. He stepped away from his chair and strode off. Touko sprung up and stuck close to his side, accompanying him out. Anastazja cast her narrowed eyes at Touko’s back and hooked onto her small frame.

When Touko left the room, no longer in sight, Anastazja simply stared at the door.

“How long are you here for?” Kyouko chanced.

“I will leave tomorrow morning,” said Anastazja. She hauled her gaze onto Kyouko. A weaker person than Kyouko would have been knocked off balance. “Before I depart, I want to sit down and speak with you.”

“That’s fine,” said Kyouko. “I was actually hoping to talk to you.”

Anastazja examined her nails.

“I want to talk to my son first, and I will be busy for the next few hours, but at five o’clock sharp, you may join me in my room,” she said, and then she clenched her hand into a fist. “Don’t be late.”

“I assume you’re in the guest wing?” said Kyouko, unperturbed.

“Indeed. Room Nine.”

Until then, Kyouko tried to busy herself by watching some more interview footage in the library, but she didn’t make much headway before she paused the video. Sat in front of the computer, she shut her eyes and rubbed her temples. All of this, she had seen, listened to, and nothing about it had changed. She needed to talk to people for herself. To particular people.

Kyouko logged off the computer and decided to seek out Touko. Last time, she found her in her writing room, so she went there first and knocked on the door.

No one answered, but she heard tapping from within, and she cracked the door ajar. The sound originated from Touko, whose fingers pounded against her keyboard as she sat hunched in front of her computer. Kyouko opened the door wider. Words continued to stutter out beneath Touko’s touch, no more and no less than before Kyouko came in.

From where Kyouko stood, she could only view the back of Touko. She drew a bit closer and positioned herself off to the side of Touko, where she could see more of Touko’s face. There, she observed the tip of Touko’s tongue that protruded from between her lips, a pink shoot sprouting, and the crease that divided her brow down the middle.

Touko’s tongue retreated into her mouth and her lips curled in on themselves. Her back shuddered as she flexed, pausing from her writing, fingers twitching but not pressing down on any keys. Footsteps sounded from the doorway, and the silver-haired maid who Kyouko interacted with on the morning of Kijou’s visit walked in, holding a tray.

Most of Touko’s desk was covered with, among other things, various papers clipped together and ring-binders, so the maid deliberated and set the tray down on a short, flat pile of paper folders. On the tray was a teapot, a cup and a tray of rice dumplings.

“I apologise, I didn’t realise you had company, Touko-san,” said the maid. Touko stirred and turned around.

She caught sight of Kyouko and jumped.

“How long have you been here, snooping?” asked Touko sharply.

“I came in a minute ago,” replied Kyouko, but she didn’t know how long she had been there. It couldn’t have been longer than that. “I didn’t snoop through anything. I just stood here.”

The maid’s features hardened. “Do you wish for me to escort her out?”

Though the maid spoke calmly, she seemed ready to leap into action and perhaps toss Kyouko over her shoulder.

Touko hesitated.

“... No, it’s all right,” said Touko, glancing away. “I have a cup from earlier, so Kirigiri can use the clean one. Unless you’re only here briefly?”

She aimed the last part at Kyouko and stared at her.

“I wouldn’t want to distract you,” said Kyouko, trailing off.

“So you do have business with me,” said Touko. Her eyes flickered. “I knew it... Tojo, you can go now. We’ll be fine.”

The maid gave a quick bow before leaving the room. Touko waited a few more seconds before turning her gaze to Kyouko.

“What is it?” she asked Kyouko, who shifted slightly. “If this is about what the three of us did together, I don’t have anything more to say about it than what Byakuya told you the first morning after.”

She laced her fingers together and regarded Kyouko with a steady squint.

“I don’t know how much you heard,” started Kyouko, but Touko butted right in.

“All of it,” revealed Touko. “I was tired and I didn’t want to join in, so I listened. I just pretended to be asleep.”

“I see. Does that mean you don’t believe it was a dream now?” said Kyouko.

Touko pulled a face and poured herself some tea from a cup that had been on her desk before Kyouko entered her writing room. She sipped with that same expression, and Kyouko took the teapot as soon as Touko returned it to the tray.

“Neither of us thought that would happen,” said Touko. “When Byakuya invited you to our room that night, he did just want to play Monopoly. I was a bit surprised, and...”

Silence tried to wiggle in and wedge itself between the pair.

“... and?” prompted Kyouko.

“... back at Hope’s Peak, you were one of the first people who he considered a near-equal,” admitted Touko bitterly.

Kyouko’s eyebrows raised but she reigned them in.

Touko rotated the cup in her hands slowly. “Don’t look so blank... I’m not going to repeat myself for your ego. He recognised your skill and intelligence. I could smell the rivalry a mile away. I didn’t care for you back then, and I know that you felt likewise.”

The past tense caught Kyouko’s attention, but she pushed past it.

“I didn’t dislike you,” said Kyouko, earning a scoff from Touko.

“Back then, I thought that Byakuya might have gone for you, or Celes,” said Touko. She whined. “I couldn’t stand it! You were both so cool and pretty, and Celes sucked up to him while you didn’t ever watch your tone with my Byakuya.”

“Were?” said Kyouko, unable to help herself.

“Don’t pretend to have low self-esteem!” snapped Touko. “Are. You both are. Those things.”

Kyouko’s cheeks warmed.

“But Togami-kun chose you, not us,” Kyouko pointed out.

“Y-Yes...” Touko smiled a bit and lifted her shoulders, rosy in the face. “We were destined to be...”

Kyouko had seen the cake, but not seen the recipe.

“May I ask about how you became a couple?” asked Kyouko. “When you walked into the cafeteria holding hands one morning, no one had seen it coming, and yet no one was surprised.”

Touko froze. She clicked her tongue, like a fuse being lit.

“I know what people thought of us,” said Touko. “You all thought that Byakuya deserved to die alone. You all thought I was deluded. That... That I was getting off by punishing myself with unrequited love. And okay, maybe that was the start. There are a lot of cruel men out there, like my father...”

Her face darkened and she put her cup on her saucer on her desk.

“But... there was something different about Byakuya. He kept to himself, pushed away whoever tried to get close, talked about how an invitation may have been a trap... and he liked reading. I saw myself in him,” said Touko. “He didn’t care what other people thought about him. He was, is, someone who I thought could understand me, and as I observed him, I tried to fill in the gaps, and no matter what I did, he didn’t change. He’s not fake... and I like that, and imagining us happy together... made me happy. I never had to second guess him.”

Kyouko nodded.

“For the past few years, I had been working on a side-project. My I-Novel. I don’t intend to publish it, but writing it has been therapeutic. Naegi had been trying to get close to me around that time, even introducing me to his sister, and during our second year, I let Naegi read what I had of my I-Novel so far, and his words of encouragement fueled something in me.”

Touko paused.

“On a Friday, I left the draft in Byakuya’s shoe locker, like a giddy school girl too shy to confess to her crush,” said Touko, like she hadn’t been exactly that. “Then came the wait...”

She hugged herself. A smile placed itself tentatively on her lips.

“I didn’t see him in the library for the whole of Saturday. Then, that night, he rang for me. He had read it in one sitting, and he wanted to read more. I told him that was all that I had so far. We spoke a bit, not so much about the intimate details but my hobbies, my writing...”

Her smile planted itself on her as she replayed the scene in her head.

“We didn’t start dating then... Byakuya had thinking to do. Two weeks crawled by. We talked a bit, and I found out we liked the same movies, and on a Saturday, he visited my room again and said he wanted to... to invest in us. He wanted someone strong, smart, engaging... like me... And then... our hands... ah ha...”

Kyouko braced herself.

“... we held hands... and he went such a cute red...” Touko mumbled, illustrating with her own face, and Kyouko relaxed a bit.

“If I recall correctly, he went to study in America after graduating,” said Kyouko.

“Yes. That’s right.” Touko set her hands down on her lap. She couldn’t turn off her blush, but she could smooth over her features. “Distance didn’t affect us. Both of us can go periods without being with the other. If I was to be held hostage in a city during the end of the world, having to wait until it was safe for me to leave, I wouldn’t feel a thing. We spoke on the phone, on email, on video, and we visited each other... We remained close, and then after he graduated, he proposed and we got married.”

Touko hugged herself. A small, happy mewl slipped out. Kyouko grinned.

“So... what are you working on now?” asked Kyouko. “A romance novel?”

“No. My I-Novel,” said Touko. “It’s an ongoing project. Don’t think it’s because I can’t write romance anymore, just because I’m married. At first, I thought I would struggle. After I met Byakuya, all I could write about was us. I couldn’t focus on anything else. But then, I realised I could still write romance. I could write about us, but different ways of falling in love. Us in different time periods, in a fantasy universe, in a world where we get locked into a school, have our memories wiped and are forced to kill our classmates to have a chance to escape... ah, the possibilities are endless!”

Drool slicked her lips.

“This is what soulmates are like, isn’t it?” said Touko.

“I suppose so,” replied Kyouko, trying not to look at her lips. Touko focused on Kyouko.

“... Here.” She got up, walked over to a bookcase and plucked off a book. Kyouko let Touko push it into her hands. On the cover was a merman and a woman in a witch’s hat, positioned in a yin-yang design. “I know it’s not a detective novel like I usually recommend to you, but maybe you will enjoy it, to your surprise.”

“Thank you,” said Kyouko, studying the cover some more.

“Byakuya is more of a fan of detective novels than I am. Everything that I’ve pointed you toward are works that he liked. And... Me and Byakuya plan to collaborate on a detective novel,” Touko said, and she paused. Kyouko lifted her head. Touko picked at her fingers. “Maybe... you could read it... j-just so we can gauge whether the clues have been implemented successfully.”

“I would like that,” said Kyouko with a smile. Her heart skipped a bit as she thought that this recommendation came from Touko and not indirectly from Byakuya this time, though she hadn’t disliked those at all.

“... All right,” said Touko, blushing lightly. She whipped around to face away from Kyouko. “Oh geez... You’ve distracted me from my writing.”

“I apologise,” said Kyouko, smile slipping.

Touko shuffled back to her desk and sat down. “Don’t worry about it.”

Leaving Touko to her own devices, Kyouko read in her room during the remaining time she had before she was due to meet Anastazja. Within the first few pages, Kyouko could say with confidence that Touko based the protagonist on herself and the merman on Byakuya. Still, their first interactions were unfriendly and formal, and Touko’s prose weaved a world around Kyouko that warped time’s passage around her. When she tore her eyes away to check her phone, she realised she had five minutes to spare.

They were both staying in the guest wing, so Kyouko didn’t worry about being late. In fact, she put the book aside and decided to arrive a bit early. She left her room and crossed the corridor. At the door, she poised her hand to knock, but a noise caught her fist and held back her hand.

It sounded like crying. Muffled crying. Kyouko backtracked to her room and slammed the door. The crying stopped. She waited a few seconds before returning to Anastazja’s door and rapping her knuckles against it.

Anastazja opened. Her eyes seemed harsher than usual.

“Come in,” drawled Anastazja like she was compensating, and she marched back stiffly into her room with Kyouko trailing behind.

This guest room had a different appearance to that of Kyouko’s, which had cool blue tones, with speckled, pale yellow flooring and white panel walls. When Kyouko ventured further in, stencil art of a fern tree on one of the panels caught her eye, starting at the floor and reaching almost as high as a ceiling beam. Sunlight poured in from a window as tall as a wall and as wide as a set of double doors. The room contained two beige chairs, and Anastazja seated herself on one. Kyouko claimed the other for herself.

“We both have things that we wish to discuss. We’ll start with my queries,” said Anastazja, one leg crossed over the other.

Kyouko expected her to talk about the murders, so was caught off-guard by what Anastazja next said.

“My husband came to visit two days ago. Correct?”

“Yes,” said Kyouko. She breathed in. The room smelled like a cool forest breeze.

Anastazja nodded with a steely gaze. “I asked Byakuya about it, but he wouldn’t elaborate on many details. I doubt it was a family visit. It was about the murders. Yes?”

“We talked about that. Did you not ask Kijou about it?” asked Kyouko, prompting Anastazja to wrinkle her nose.

“When I managed to contact him, he just said they were catching up,” said Anastazja. “Byakuya’s body language intrigued me. He made eye contact less than usual, looked at stimuli more readily and touched his hair more than usual.”

Kyouko shifted in her seat.

“As Byakuya’s mother, I have the right to know,” said Anastazja. “You would be wise not to try lying to me.”

“There was an altercation between them,” Kyouko told her quietly. “Togami-kun’s father struck him when we left the room.”

No reaction. Kyouko couldn’t tell if it was because Anastazja already knew or if it just didn’t phase her.

“I figured,” said Anastazja, finally. “When Kijou gets mad, he hits or throws things and sometimes breaks them. He can be like a child throwing a tantrum, but he has never outright done physical harm to a person.”

Silence. Anastazja stared into space with a frown.

“Let me ask you something,” said Kyouko.

Anastazja eyed her.

“It’s about Sugawara’s relationship with Togami-kun,” said Kyouko.

“It was professional,” said Anastazja, betraying nothing.

“Just?” asked Kyouko, and Anastazja narrowed her eyes.

“... Tell me what that has to do with their altercation,” said Anastazja. “I’m inferring that the two are related.”

Kyouko folded her arms over her chest. “The argument was about an incident in Togami-kun’s childhood. Not a pleasant one.”

Anastazja’s eyes flickered.

“So you know about that,” said Anastazja.

“How long after did you find out?” asked Kyouko.

“What do you mean? After it happened? I found out years later, within a day of Pennyworth and Touko discovering it. Pennyworth told me,” said Anastazja.

“And what did you do?”

“What do you mean?”

One end of Kyouko’s lips pinched.

“Don’t give me that look,” snapped Anastazja. She breathed and put up a calmer demeanour, still evidently annoyed. “You’re acting like I have influence in the conglomerate and its partners.”

“Togami-kun is your son. Surely you must have been upset,” said Kyouko.

Anastazja jigged a foot. “Being upset would make me be seen as an unstable and weak woman.”

“You would be acting like a human,” said Kyouko.

“Not to those whose opinions matter to the conglomerate,” said Anastazja, and Kyouko noticed that she hadn’t confirmed nor denied what Kyouko had stated before that. Still, Anastazja hadn’t been explicit, toeing her way through her phrasing carefully. “My role ended when Byakuya won - ”

She tripped on her tongue but recovered gracefully, with just a little hitch.

“ - when Byakuya took on a more active role in the conglomerate. I raised him to be intelligent, strong and to survive. Keep afloat. Not let anyone take advantage of him,” said Anastazja. “I tried to mold him into the perfect heir.”

“But do you love him as your son?” asked Kyouko.

Anastazja flashed a glare at Kyouko, the most emotion seen on her yet, and realising, Anastazja averted her gaze. Keeping with a lack of eye contact, Anastazja drew out a silver locket from under her blouse, worn on a silver chain around her neck. Two feathery wings made of metal created the silhouette of a heart, details carved into it, and she peeled back one wing to open the locket, revealing a photograph inside.

“It’s Togami-kun,” said Kyouko, examining the picture. His hair was long in it. “It must have been around the time that he won the heir selection competition.”

“Oh, so you know about that?” asked Anastazja. She adjusted her hold on the locket, keeping it open. “In that case, I won’t be so vague on the details. Yes, that’s correct. This was taken during the competition by Pennyworth. I didn’t take many photographs of Byakuya in his younger years.”

“Why is that?” asked Kyouko, staring at her. Anastazja didn’t answer. “Is it because you were afraid?”

She didn’t answer that either.

“You didn’t want to get attached to him, did you?” said Kyouko, tilting her head to one side.

With a telltale waver, over and done with as quick as a heartbeat, Anastazja smirked and said, “Perhaps I underestimated you, Kirigiri. I didn’t know that afterwards, I would basically be giving him up. Do you know, they say that they are exiled, but many of them die suspicious deaths? Maybe if I had known...”

Anastazja squeezed the locket and wiped her expression clean.

“I have photographic memory, but if I was not there to witness an event, then I can’t have any memories of it, can I?” she said. “I remember what he wore when he asked me where his cake was on his sixth birthday. A navy waistcoat with golden buttons. A light blue shirt. We had it specially made for him by Gabriel Agreste, a renown fashion designer in France. I remember what he wore at his first recital that his father attended. A white bowtie. Black suit. White shirt. I remember what he wore at his wedding anniversary. A R. Jewels suit from England, strategically studded with four hundred and eighty diamonds. Only three were and ever will be made, and we have one of them, of course.”

Of course. Kyouko made note of this.

“Most of the photographs of Byakuya were taken by Pennyworth. He is a phlegmatic man, but he cares for Byakuya a lot,” said Anastazja. She finally shut the locket and tucked it back into her blouse. “I will speak to you as a fellow woman, Kirigiri. When I found out what Sugawara did, I wanted to kill him.”

Her shoulders squared.

“I didn’t, though,” she said. “Nor did I hire anyone to kill him. Do you know how hard it is to hire a hitman? You’re best being recommended one from someone you know, or you might accidentally come into contact with an undercover cop or out yourself with your trail. And you mustn’t meet one personally, or you risk potential blackmail from them.”

Kyouko lifted her chin a little. “Have you tried to hire one before?”

“Oh, no, even if there are people who I despise,” said Anastazja.

She stroked the pad of her index finger against her thumb, looking nowhere else.

“Touko is a fortunate woman,” admitted Anastazja softly, changing the subject, or maybe she wasn’t. “She married someone she loves, and who loves her back.”

Anastazja’s face twitched and she turned away.

“I will leave you to finding out who ordered their killings, especially Sugawara’s,” she said. “Just let me know who ordered their killings before you turn them in, so I may shake their hand. Now, what was it that you wanted to talk about?”

Kyouko stood up. “I have got all the information that I desired. Thank you.”

* * *

 

That night, Touko and Kyouko sat at the dining room table, as had become part of their nightly ritual, with a cup of hot chocolate each.

“... and how long did it take you to write the novel, from start to finish?” asked Kyouko, referring to the the book that Touko lent her.

Touko stopped prodding her marshmallow with her spoon. “A few years, but I didn’t work on it solely. I had other projects going on, and whenever I reread the story to refresh myself, I wanted to tweak the wording and basically rewrite the whole thing.”

Kyouko nodded and watched Touko take a small sip of her drink.

“The first arc felt like a chore to write at times,” said Touko, holding her cup with both hands. “I had a lot of ideas for later scenes, but I had to set them up first. You can’t decorate a cake that hasn’t been baked, like you can’t have a climax without a build up. But... those quiet moments... were fun to write, in their own way, and I think of them fondly.”

“I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far, including those moments. You really are a shining example of how works of text are just as much art as a drawing,” Kyouko remarked with a small smile.

The compliment made Touko squirm. She jutted out her chin. “O-Of course! I wasn’t scouted as a literary girl for no reason.”

At Hope’s Peak, Touko had been full of self-criticisms, on how she was ugly, and smelly, but when it came to her writing, her defences flared up and passion burned in her eyes as they did now, and Kyouko couldn’t look away.

“I think, after this book, I would like another,” said Kyouko.

“Are you sucking up to me?” asked Touko on the last stage before a glare.

“I’m being genuine,” Kyouko assured her. “I admit, at school, I didn’t consider giving them a chance. I acknowledged your skill but did little else beyond that. At least that means now I have a lot to look forward to reading.”

Touko gasped and positioned her cup close to her face, failing miserably to hide her blush and the smile that crept in, though maybe miserably wasn’t an appropriate verb because there was nothing sad about her appearance.

“What do Togami-kun’s parents think of your writing?” asked Kyouko, and she drank some hot chocolate while she waited for Touko’s answer.

“They don’t,” said Touko. She lowered her cup, looking grim. “My parents were only interested in it when they realised it would earn them money, and Byakuya’s parents don’t regard romance novels highly. Or romance at all. B-But all I need is my darling’s approval, so... so fuck them!”

Kyouko could have laughed, but she quirked her brow. “Is Togami-kun into romance novels?”

“No, not really, but he has read many of mine by now,” said Touko, smiling again. “Sometimes, I write him short mystery pieces, and he tries to figure out the mystery before he finishes it. He likes doing that.”

The two drank their hot chocolate peacefully. Kyouko nearly finished hers and gripped the rim of her cup between her frown. She set down her cup and after some hesitation, spoke up.

“Touko-san,” said Kyouko, maneuvering her tongue around the laser alarms in her mouth, arranged like a game of jack straws. “When Togami-kun’s father came to visit, he and Byakuya discussed a certain incident.”

The effect was immediate - Touko flinched.

“It’s not my business to say what happened way back then,” said Touko, sobering. She glanced away, put down her cup and fidgeted her hands like she couldn’t get a firm grip on the other. “But I suppose... I can say what happened a few months ago. Byakuya’s father came to visit with a few work friends...”

“... were any of them murdered later?” Kyouko butted in. Touko’s lips twisted as she recollected.

“All the victims were there, actually, among a few others. They wanted to discuss a business proposal that Byakuya ultimately had no interest in,” said Touko. “Byakuya told me that it wasn’t anything worth knowing, later. His father didn’t approve of him declining, but anyway, my darling was asked to perform for them in the concert hall we have here.”

Kyouko hadn’t been to it, but she could believe that they had one.

“On the violin,” said Touko.

“Okay,” replied Kyouko, blinking.

“Because he can perform on a number of different instruments,” Touko elaborated, and when Kyouko didn’t reply, she carried on. “I wanted to wish him good luck, so I headed toward the backstage area, but before I made myself known, I heard voices. My darling wasn’t alone. He was with...”

Touko’s lips quivered.

“Sugawara,” said Kyouko for her. She didn’t rush Touko to continue.

“... He... They were talking,” said Touko, voice thickening fast. “Byakuya told him to go away... and Sugawara spoke so sweetly... but in a rotten way... and said... he wasn’t as c-cute now...”

Behind Touko’s widened eyes, the rest of the conversation played, but Kyouko couldn’t see, couldn’t hear. Touko was made the sole audience and she tugged on her hair, her face ready to tear down the middle. Kyouko wavered but reached over and gripped Touko’s shoulder, and Touko didn’t shake her off.

“My darling, he said he wasn’t a child anymore.” Fragments of the scene left Touko’s mouth. “And that man... he laughed.” Pause. “Byakuya said... things... in anger...” Pause. “Sugawara laughed and said Byakuya’s mouth would be better put to use on his...” Pause. She covered her mouth. “He asked... if his skills had got rusty... ” Pause. “I rushed in. Sugawara laughed at us and swaggered off... He didn’t deny anything.”

“I understand,” said Kyouko.

“You don’t!” Touko snarled. Kyouko jumped. Touko’s face contorted, crumbling quickly. “Byakuya wouldn’t say at first... He had to go play, he said... Then I... and Pennyworth... He called me a liar... and then Byakuya told him... told us... and then... we all knew... and you don’t know... how...”

Touko clutched her blouse, clawing it over her heart. Her shoulders shook, and her gaze turned inward. Unfocused.

“... you don’t know what... I can’t,” said Touko, pained, eyes brimming.

“You’re right,” said Kyouko softly. “I don’t know.”

Without thinking, Kyouko opened up her arms. Touko needed no further prompting and fell into Kyouko.

“I hadn’t even wanted to leave them,” Touko spluttered into Kyouko. “At the party... b-but Byakuya wanted to talk to him, and then I...”

A sob.

“... couldn’t find them before there was blood.”

After Kyouko eventually dropped Touko off at her room, and Touko had recomposed herself to sniffles, Kyouko did not go straight to her own room. Instead, she went to the Togami library and logged into the computer. She opened one of the interview tapes and furrowed her brow.

Byakuya’s suit didn’t have any diamonds on it.

There were a lot of reasons why he could have changed out of it into something else.

A lot of them.


	8. The Same as You (E-Rated)

When not working on the case, which provided a distraction, Kyouko stewed over recent events in her head. Not just about the developments that may or may not have had anything to do with the case, but that night when they played Monopoly. They all acknowledged it, and that seemed to be that. Done. However, try as Kyouko did to shake off the memories of it and move on, they hung like dust particles in the air, and she often lay awake remembering where they touched, where they breathed against each other, the patterns of their blinking and how they slunk on, around her.

Over the next few days, following Touko’s outburst, Kyouko barely saw Byakuya or Touko. Byakuya still attended meals, but he hardly said anything, and she saw Touko just once as they wordlessly passed each other in a corridor one evening. Touko didn’t attend their late night sessions and Kyouko hadn’t registered it until recently, but she enjoyed spending time with Touko, from their silences to their unforced bursts of conversations.

The wallflower, Touko, had bloomed. At school, Kyouko hadn’t given her a second glance, having thought that she knew everything that needed to be known about Touko Fukawa. Then the class found out about Genocider Syo due to Junko leaking the information from an undisclosed source, and after reassurances from the school of their safety, Touko slowly emerged from her shell, and before the pearl inside could be fully revealed, they graduated, and it was during their night time meetings that Kyouko saw the light glowing in Touko. Her small smiles, quiet laughs and passion weaved each night together, stronger with each one that passed.

And Byakuya... Kyouko’s heart strained in conflict. Kyouko had thought she knew him too, but those quiet moments, those comments by others that floated around him, his particular ways of phrasing things, his sharp gaze and tongue that could cut just as deeply and precisely as his wife’s, those made Kyouko’s heart rear up as it did with thoughts about Touko, and even with the evidence walking along behind him, leaving footprints, she wouldn’t, couldn’t leap to conclusions. There were puzzle pieces, sure, but they didn’t make a coherent picture.

She needed answers so one late evening, she left her room and headed to Byakuya and Touko’s chambers, winding down hallways. In the last stretch, the door to their room grew bigger in her vision as she approached it, and she reached out her hand.

“We have handcuffs.”

That came from inside of the room. Kyouko froze, about to grab the door handle.

“I can’t see Kirigiri being enthused about being handcuffed.”

The first voice had belonged to Touko while the one after was Byakuya’s, and Touko spoke next.

“Blindfolds?”

Did they plan to hold Kyouko hostage? Did they know what she knew?

“Perhaps,” replied Byakuya, not to Kyouko’s thoughts but what Touko said, though that didn’t stop Kyouko’s stomach from plummeting. “But I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. We don’t even know if she would agree to another... one.”

Kyouko blinked, tensing. Her surroundings didn’t change.

“She hasn’t spoken to us much lately.”

“But we haven’t said much to her either. And we’re not avoiding each other because of my father’s visit, are we? It must be because of what happened the night before. It’s sinking in. What we did together. Did to each other. With each other.”

A steady warmth engulfed Kyouko’s face. Her stomach hardened, and her heart skipped.

“We were drunk...”

“And now we’re sober.”

“... So we’re doing this?” asked Touko, sounding like she had a thumb near or in her mouth.

“Why not? We can both admit that we find... something... in her.”

Kyouko widened her eyes.

“Y-Yes! But, ah, it’s not like what I find in you...”

Her eyes narrowed. She clenched her jaw.

“I know. I feel the same. So, blindfolds and handcuffs, hm?” said Byakuya in a light tone. “Anything else?”

“We can get out our pleasuring sticks!” Touko blurted. “And maybe even our nipple clamps... Kirigiri can be our cow...”

Kyouko heard slow laughter from Touko, almost like panting. The hesitation in Kyouko cracked off and feeling naked, she shoved the door open. It slammed loudly. Touko, sat with Byakuya’s head on her lap, twitched violently. His head bounced and he straightened up with a jolt. His gaze landed on Kyouko, stood trembling in their doorway.

“How long...?” he started, but Kyouko didn’t let him follow through.

“You hired me, Togami-kun, to get to the bottom of some murders,” she said, consciously making her voice steady. “Not... to be your plaything...”

For a while, no one said anything. Kyouko lay her glare thick and heavy on them. Touko fidgeted, unable to look at her, and Byakuya seemed to be tasting something bitter and unpleasant. Eventually, Kyouko turned on her heel, and she left the door open behind her.

* * *

 

The next morning, Kyouko scraped her knife against her toast as she applied strawberry jam. Before she took a bite, she paused, eyes cast down at her plate that rested on a white table cloth. Cutlery and china clinked without her doing anything.

She pressed her lips together. Narrowed her eyes. But words didn’t sting together into a coherent sentence in her brain, so she didn’t say anything, and she forced herself to bite into her toast.

Opposite her, Byakuya was equally noisy and equally quiet. Touko wasn’t there at all. Kyouko’s skin prickled. She balled her hands into fists.

“Togami-kun,” she said. They made eye contact.

Then her phone rang.

“You better answer that,” he said quietly.

* * *

 

_“Kyouko Kirigiri, we need you here right away.”_

The showerhead hissed out white noise.

_“He wrote on some paper that he’s willing to talk to you.”_

Her lashes fluttered.

_“But only you.”_

Kyouko stared at the wall ahead of her, so wrapped up in her own thoughts that the crevices between the tiles blurred and disappeared in her vision.

_“I’ve heard of you, Kyouko Kirigiri. Through murmurs.”_

She massaged shampoo into her hair until it frothed. Then she rinsed it out.

_“You’ve asked me a lot of things over the past few weeks, so let’s start at the beginning. First, there is the matter of being let in. I didn’t have a great disguise, but it got me through, though it helps that a certain security guard gave me the all clear, employed by a partner to the conglomerate in attendance at the party.”_

After shampoo came conditioner.

_“I entered without any weapons and got some that were planted before the party by certain security guards. I had access to codes. Keys. It was easy getting where I wanted.”_

Kyouko left the conditioner in her hair while she soaped up a loofah and scrubbed herself.

_“On your last visit here, you mentioned that the victims met Togami-san for a business deal in the months leading up to this, and I knew it was a matter of time before you unravelled it all. Let me set everything straight. I worked alone, tasked with ending the lives of some businessmen who swindled my employer out of a billion yen, nine zeroes. They were doing something all illegal, under the table, behind closed doors... That kind of thing. If he said anything, he would have implicated himself. None of the Togamis knew anything about it. The only two people in that ring who survived was the guy who hired me and the one who I impersonated.”_

Her skin glared pink. She grabbed a wide-toothed comb and ushered out the tangles in her hair.

_“The guy, he said he’d pay me part of it before and most of it after, and I thought, okay, I got caught, but he’ll give it to my family, and I wrote a request on some paper asking to phone a guy I know on the outside. These guys here let me, probably thinking they could get info if I did, but I can talk real good without revealing stuff. And my friend tells me that it turns out my employer didn’t plan to pay up. Even threatened serious consequences if I squealed, and I knew that meant for my family. They need that money. In my downtime, I work on a pineapple orchard. The little bastards rub off my prints.”_

She rinsed her hair thoroughly.

_“You don’t have to believe me. I wouldn’t believe me. But if I give you my family’s names, you’ve got to keep my family safe and not do nothing until they are. They did nothing wrong. If you’re so human like you said, you’ll do that.”_

Kyouko turned the knob. Water splattered from the showerhead for another second before faltering to a stop.

_“One more thing, darling. That victim who you mentioned got killed in a side room? The sixth victim? Nothing to do with me. I only shot who I was paid to shoot. Could have been anyone else who did that.”_

But the list was shrinking.

She stepped out of the shower, plucked a towel from a nearby rail and wrapped it around herself. With a smaller towel, she dried her hair somewhat, enough that it wouldn’t drip, and then wore it around her head. The interview from several days ago looped in her head the whole time. On the hitman’s request, she had contacted his family, and after a brief conversation with Byakuya, they moved them somewhere safe.

Not that she wouldn’t have ensured this happened regardless of what Byakuya decided.

Still, her work wasn’t over yet. There was still the matter of Osamu Sugawara, the sixth victim. He had not been involved with the illegal activity that caught those involved in its barbs, and though his body was discovered after the final shooting, this didn’t mean that he was murdered last. His death could have happened before, during or after the others.

Kyouko finished drying herself and put on a simple blouse and dark trousers. She weaved a braid behind her left ear, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Someone rapped on the door. Her brow furrowed and she crossed the room to investigate. When she opened the door, she found Byakuya stood directly in front of her with Touko by his side, and Kyouko suppressed a scowl. However, though she didn’t want to talk to them right now, or see them, she didn’t shoo them away or slam the door in their faces.

Yet. Anyway. No, she would be dignified, as much as she wanted to lash out for how hurt and humiliated she had felt because of them. She was above that. For now.

“What is it?” asked Kyouko.

“I think it’s best that we talk,” said Byakuya as coolly and casually as her. “Is now a convenient time?”

“... Sure.” Kyouko backed up and the other two walked in.

There were a few chairs in her room and Byakuya chose one of them to sit on, rather than the bed. Touko grabbed a nearby chair and hauled it over so she could sit beside him. Kyouko shut the door quietly and took a few steps toward them, but she remained standing, one hand on her hip, unsure what they would say.

Byakuya batted away the silence first.

“We want to apologise for what you overheard,” said Byakuya.

Kyouko raised her eyebrows but kept the rest of her expression unchanged.

“Whether or not you were there, we shouldn’t have objectified you and discussed you in such a manner,” he said, his eyes trained on Kyouko, his face stony. “It was disrespectful.”

Silence. Without looking away, Byakuya nudged Touko’s side with his shoulder. She straightened a bit, lifting her head.

“And I never really apologised properly for before.” Touko fidgeted her hands. Her body tried to double over and close in on itself as she cringed, but she forced herself to stay open and her eyes remained on Kyouko. “I mean... not just then, but when I talked about you and Maizono... and just you. I’m sorry for all that. I got caught up, and didn’t think... I acted just like an idol-chasing pig...”

More silence. Kyouko’s mind had been surprised blank. The other two stared at her, waiting for her verdict. She folded her arms over her chest and thought it over, letting them stew in their discomfort and suspense.

After a while, she brought a hand to her chin.

“We should discuss what happened on board game night,” she said.

Byakuya quirked his brow.

“I thought we already did,” he said.

“We did. Somewhat. But I want to know what it means,” she explained.

“What?” Byakuya blinked, and then he blinked again.

Kyouko’s lips pressed together. He had to know what she was alluding to, yet when she met his gaze, she didn’t locate the smirk that she anticipated. That smug, know-it-all smirk of his was absent.

“I mean what it means for us,” she clarified.

His face relaxed only very slightly, still somewhat troubled.

“I can’t decide what it means for you,” he said quietly.

She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly.

“What does it mean to you, Togami-kun?” she asked. “What we did?”

His eyes flickered, but he didn’t answer.

“What about you, Fukawa-san?” asked Kyouko in the same calm voice, rounding on her next, turning her head sharply toward her.

Touko yelped, holding her hands up defensively, flat palms aimed at Kyouko. Byakuya leaning forward, shifting, and rested his elbows near his knees. Kyouko paused, thinking he was getting ready to say something, but neither he nor Touko did, leaving it up to Kyouko to talk again. How rotten.

“Are you refusing to answer?” said Kyouko, who put her hands on her hips now.

Byakuya pushed up his glasses. “What happened, happened.”

“You were talking about approaching me to do it again. Did you simply want to get off again? Using me?” Kyouko said, and the other two twitched like someone gave them a firm clap on the backs. Time ticked loudly.

Touko ground her teeth and whined.

“You and your questions,” Touko grumbled, holding onto either side of her head. “They’re enough to give a headache. Does it occur to you that maybe we want to figure out what it means?”

Kyouko’s mouth cracked ajar but no words came out. As she stood there and as they sat there, she wondered whose face was redder out of the three of them, and feeling her face contend for victory, she turned away, trying to ignore how her cheeks felt like they had ignited into flames.

“Let me assure you that we didn’t and don’t intend to use you simply for our pleasure. What you overheard was crass, and I shouldn’t have humoured Touko in hindsight. But could our lack of answer be your answer as well?” asked Byakuya, and Kyouko stole a glimpse of his face, noting that he was holding his chin, gazing at her with focus. “Are you like us?”

“I’m curious,” said Kyouko. She touched her ear and glanced away. “Until recently, I had been under the impression that you barely tolerated me, yet...”

Byakuya clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes.

“Our personalities clash, but that doesn’t have to mean that I hate you,” he said. He crossed his arms over his chest and reclined a bit in his chair. One leg hooked over the other. “That would involve you digging deep under my skin, which you haven’t accomplished. No. You’re a graze, at best.”

Kyouko squinted, unsure whether that was a compliment.

He adjusted his glasses, making steady eye contact.

“No, I don’t hate you, or even dislike you,” he said. “You’re an intelligent woman, and one of the few who can keep up with my pace. I hired you to work here because I trusted your abilities, and since you arrived here... I have been thinking about you when I don’t have to be.”

Byakuya’s eyes flickered, and he shielded as much of his face with his hand as he could, pretending to be adjusting his glasses again and trying not to be too obvious with it. Keyword ‘too’. Keyword ‘trying’.

“And I don’t hate you either,” Touko piped up. Kyouko’s gaze shifted to her, and Touko squirmed. She tipped her head forward and looked down at her hands playing on her lap. “I... l-like your company, and I even miss our late night meetings. When you’re not skulking in the shadows, and I can see your face, it’s not so bad.”

The angle of her head made it hard to discern, but Touko’s lips quivered, feeling out a smile.

“And I don’t often get to talk to another woman my age... at least, someone who I can have an intelligent conversation with,” admitted Touko. She lifted her head. Her expression hardened and she poked the air, adding quickly, “B-But don’t think that I’m some kind of loser!”

“I didn’t think that at all,” said Kyouko. She glanced at Byakuya, then couldn’t decide who to settle on. Her gaze hopped between the two. “This is a lot to digest, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“You said it anyway,” muttered Touko. Byakuya waved a hand.

“There are some emotions that I don’t express openly like people such as, say, Makoto Naegi,” said Byakuya, and when Kyouko centred her gaze on him, he offered a shrug.

“My darling is the most beautiful flower when he blooms,” said Touko, perking up, and scraped her chair closer so she could grab onto Byakuya’s upper arm. She pressed into Byakuya, shining her eyes up at him. “And... I get to see it because my love is as intense as the Sun.”

Byakuya turned his head a little toward her, and Kyouko felt like she was intruding. Touko nuzzled into his side, beaming. He admired her a bit longer before returning his gaze to Kyouko. His smile dimmed.

“Now it’s your turn, Kirigiri,” he said, and he extracted his arm from Touko’s grasp so he could wrap it around her waist. She wiggled, getting cosier against him. “Is the reason that you’re asking all these questions just curiosity about why we would want to be do this thing with you again? Or something more?”

“Curiosity,” she said without thinking, without letting herself think. Her heart pounded in a bid for her attention, and she wrangled the confession out. “The same as you.”

Touko and Byakuya stared.

“We got the impression that you were not interested,” he said, hiking his brow. “You were obviously avoiding us.”

“So were you,” Kyouko pointed out, and a tremor of silent laughter rolled through her lips, resulting in a smile. “But no, I don’t dislike you. Despite your first impressions, you’re really not bad people at all. We’re all just incredibly stubborn.”

He grimaced but couldn’t deny what she said. His lips twisted in thought.

“Then, if it was to happen again,” he said slowly, dragging the words out and hanging them up around them, “how would you feel?”

Her breathing suspended briefly.

“I don’t know,” said Kyouko. The room blared silence. “But I wouldn’t mind finding out.”

His glasses glinted with a small head movement.

“So, Kirigiri... In that case, we would like to offer you to find out with us,” said Byakuya.

Kyouko’s breathing hitched. Beside him, Touko waited silently.

She set her jaw.

“I need some time to think,” she told them. “I am still annoyed by your actions.”

Byakuya heaved a sigh. “That’s understandable. Now, unless you have anything else to say...”

By not answering, Kyouko answered. That didn’t satisfy Byakuya, who didn’t move, so she nodded for good measure. He removed his arm from around Touko and stood up.

“In that case, we will leave you in peace now. You know where our room is.” Byakuya turned toward the door. “Come, Touko.”

Touko yelped and clutched her hands together.

“Come? Now?” she blurted, eyes round.

“Yes,” he said calmly. “Let’s go down to dinner. Are you coming too, Kirigiri?”

Byakuya looked over at her.

Kyouko considered it, then nodded. “All right.”

“Oh, you meant that,” mumbled Touko as she followed them out.

* * *

By the time night fell on the manor the next day, Kyouko had come to a decision and knocked on the bedroom door.

She couldn’t say that she had been attracted to either of them during their time at Hope’s Peak. The three of them were those who for their own reasons, not necessarily any deep reasons, preferred their own company, though they had opened up some by the time they graduated, but Kyouko hadn’t become close to them. However, while Kyouko had worked for them, with them, got to know them... something had grown in her chest, a soft glow that changed as gradually as the day-night cycle in summer. Yes, they had been out of line, regardless if they were rough around their edges, but she knew deep down that they were good people, and she had humbled them, and they had apologised on their own initiative.

Byakuya opened the door. He gave a thin smile and stepped aside to allow Kyouko entrance. She walked in but didn’t go too far, watching Byakuya pass her and cross over to the bed, where Touko sat, and he seated himself next to her.

Kyouko gave them a stern look.

“I’m not wearing nipple clamps,” she said bluntly.

Touko, who had been the one to suggest it in the first place, squeaked and huddled into Byakuya’s side, while Byakuya gave a very satisfying wince.

“No,” he said, and coughed into a fist. “I mean, that’s fine. We never seriously expected you to. Touko sometimes rambles about fantasies that we, or at least I, have no intention of doing.”

“Why do you have those anyway?” asked Kyouko, pursing her lips to try to still appear stern.

He pushed up his glasses, and his serious frown did little to distract from his rising colour. Unfortunately for him, the bed did not swallow him and spare him from having to answer.

“Never mind that,” he said, and no longer able to bite back her smirk, Kyouko smirked. Byakuya glared. “Be careful, or else I’ll change my mind.”

“I won’t mind that then,” said Kyouko, being the bigger person.

On that fateful night, everything had fallen into place. They were all tipsy, and they came together in a rush of hot emotion, stuck together with sweat, without thought, hesitation. Kyouko approached the bed but didn’t sit down, staring at the other two who merely did the same back at her.

Touko hunched her shoulders. “Should we drink something?”

“No, that’s not needed,” said Byakuya. He whipped off his tie, flinging it to the carpet, and exhaled loudly. “It looks like you’re all depending on me again.”

Kyouko was mustering up a glare when he rose abruptly, and it dissipated in her eyes. Byakuya stepped closer, so close that Kyouko was confronted by his chest in her face. He drew back a bit and grabbed her shoulders. More steps followed until he sat down on the bed again, pulling Kyouko onto his lap, flaunting an insufferable grin at her, but she couldn’t roll her eyes, or make a face, because his fingers danced daintily against the back of her neck, each chord a shiver that disturbed any tension in her face. She couldn’t meet his eyes, biting down on the inside of her mouth.

Touko jiggled a leg and made restless by the sight of them both, she pounced on Byakuya, pressing her lips against his cheek. Byakuya turned toward Touko, to catch her lips with his, and Kyouko stooped her head. The three of them meshing their lips together would be impractical, so Kyouko slipped lower and brushed her lips against his neck, awash in his citrusy scent. He wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed.

In a drawl that didn’t infuriate Kyouko like it used to, he said, “Below the collar.”

She breathed against his neck as she popped first his top button, feeling him shiver, and then a few below. His shifting around caught Touko’s attention, and keeping her lips locked with her husband’s, she helped Kyouko with the rest of his buttons.

They pawed at his shirt and when all the buttons had been unfastened, they peeled it off him. Touko groaned quietly and placed her hand against Byakuya’s cheek, kissing him with more focus, more attention, deepening it. Kyouko brushed her lips against Byakuya’s neck, but another squeeze from Byakuya’s arm encouraged her to open her mouth and plant her lips onto him.

With Sayaka, love bites had always been out of the question. Even with access to makeup, Sayaka always wavered, not wanting even the slightest possibility to be seen with one, and frankly, Kyouko had never seen the appeal of them, but after a minute of hard sucking on his neck, spurred on by his muffled panting, she gulped her saliva and admired the bruise that she left on him.

Byakuya and Touko resurfaced, and Touko glimpsed the mark on Byakuya.

“H-Hey,” grumbled Touko. She seized Kyouko’s shoulder roughly and bumped their lips together. Her tongue stroked against Kyouko’s lips, and Kyouko’s mouth opened enough for Touko’s tongue to burrow its way in.

Touko’s mouth didn’t taste of anything, not mint, not tea, but Kyouko licked at her ridges and at her tongue, both rigid and soft and doing the same. One of Touko’s hands gripped down on Kyouko’s thigh, and Kyouko felt around for Touko’s other hand, finding it fisted on the bed. Kyouko scratched lightly at the fist until it opened up, and both then laced their fingers together. Byakuya shifted a bit with Kyouko settled on his lap, his arm still wrapped around her, and with his other hand, sought out Touko’s breast.

With three people each with their own set of body parts, tracking whose hand was where, exactly, wasn’t a priority for Kyouko, or even something she felt like keeping tabs on. She was too caught up in the sensations that tandalised her and shook through her in ripples. Like Touko’s lips, fumbling against her wet pair, and Touko’s tongue, swatting at hers, their teeth occasionally striking together awkwardly. A hand on Kyouko’s waist, her hand in Touko’s, and then no hand on her waist but a hand on her breast. They were three people, but one unit, constantly changing. Evolving.

She groaned into Touko as Byakuya massaged Kyouko’s clothed chest, his other hand kneading Touko. He dug his fingers in as much as he could, but this satisfied neither, and he let go to unbutton Kyouko’s blouse. The kiss with Touko grew sloppier, but Touko didn’t notice what he was doing until Kyouko backed her head away and reached down to pop the rest of her buttons free.

Touko watched, her lips slimy. After Kyouko’s blouse parted at the front, Kyouko tossed it aside, and it tumbled to the floor. Her bra was next. Byakuya bounced his lap, signalling Kyouko to slide off him, and other items followed, sharing the fate of Kyouko’s blouse. His trousers crumpled near the bed, and Touko fidgeted with the hem of her blouse, but when Byakuya turned to her, she allowed him to remove it. Then he positioned himself behind Touko, and a light tap was all the prompting that Touko needed to get onto all fours, and he took off her long skirt. After that, Touko sat up, legs apart.

Revealing her lingerie.

Indeed.

Kyouko stared at Touko’s red lingerie. The bra pushed up Touko’s breasts, giving her cleavage, and most of material on it and the panties weren’t opaque. Through the mesh on the crotch, Kyouko could see dark hair, and on Touko’s left thigh, tally marks scarred into her skin. At school, Touko had always hidden them with long skirts and bandages, and other than glimpses from when Syo became animated and pranced around, Kyouko hadn’t seen them this closely for so long.

Byakuya brushed his fingers over the scars. Kyouko’s eyes followed the motion. His fingers skimmed up Touko’s stomach and gripped her shoulder. Touko and Byakuya both seemed to converse with their eyes, declarations of love, of reassurance, of safety, of so many things that would take a long time to say, and then they beamed their gazes at Kyouko.

This time, their eyes didn’t dim.

“Kirigiri,” said Touko, chest rising and falling.

“Yes?” responded Kyouko. She budged some hair from her eyes, similarly slightly out of breath.

Touko fidgeted her hands, but if she was nervous, she was smiling regardless.

“Have you ever used a dildo?” she asked Kyouko.

.Kyouko’s thighs rubbed together.

“A small one, occasionally,” she said, knowing where this was leading to. Touko’s smile grew.

“Do you have it with you?” asked Touko.

“No,” said Kyouko, but that didn’t deter Touko.

“We’ll have to use one of ours then,” said Touko. She shuffled her fingers and wiggled. “So... what do you prefer? Big? Small? Something in between? Curved? Smooth? Bumpy?”

Kyouko squinted at her. “How many do you own?”

“Two,” replied Touko. “But I rarely use them on myself. I don’t need to,not with my darling’s...”

Touko hugged herself and giggled. Byakuya looked on calmly, albeit with a pink face.

“I’ll get them anyway, and a few of Byakuya’s” said Touko. “They can go in either hole, so don’t worry about that.”

Beaming from ear to ear, Touko sprung off the bed and scampered over to a chest of drawers. She dropped to her knees, opened the bottom one and rummaged through it. Kyouko turned to Byakuya, who didn’t notice her staring for a few seconds.

“What?” he asked Kyouko.

“... Nothing.” She pursed her lips.

He stuck up his nose.

“I can get stimulated there,” he said. “Every man can.”

“It’s fine,” she said, finding it easier not to smile. She stroked her hair. “You just don’t come to mind as a very sexual guy. I imagined you to be very vanilla.”

Byakuya studied her for a moment before facing forward and leaning back a bit, putting his weight onto his arms. He tilted back his head and sighed.

“We’re really doing this,” he said.

Kyouko’s heart skipped a beat. She inclined her head to one side. “Do you not want to?”

“I do,” he said, glancing at her once. “If you had told me we would be doing this a few months ago, I would have threatened to have your tongue cut out and your lips stitched up, and ended your career in comedy right there and then.”

What a pleasant image.

His eyes narrowed. He continued gazing up at the ceiling.

“And years before that, when we started school together, if you told me that I would love anyone, I would have had you thrown out of Hope’s Peak and into a pit of lions,” he added softly.

Said so casually. She didn’t react. The room was quiet.

“From the day I was born, I was destined to succeed my father. That was my purpose.” Byakuya raised a hand to eye level and watched it close into a loose fist. “That was the reason why I was created. That was the reason why all of my siblings were created. We were each a business venture. I had to be the best, or else I would disowned and I would be worthless. I couldn’t trust anyone other than Pennyworth, or be dependent on anyone else, to survive. I refused to give into any weaknesses, like emotional bonds.”

“Emotional bonds aren’t always a weakness,” said Kyouko.

He stretched out half a smile. Ahead of them, Touko had stopped her search, but she remained squatted by the drawers.

“I know that now. If I allow myself to depend on other people, and them to depend on me, we can cover each other’s weaknesses and boost our strengths. We can learn from each other. That is what I discovered from all of you back then.” Byakuya’s smile shrunk but became more symmetrical. “And even romantic feelings can give you power. Touko taught me that. She seemed hopeless, but her love for me gave her determination, passion and strength that caught me off guard, and as she and it matured, it bettered her. It made her want to better herself and it made her feel happy, and it gives me strength too. It makes me happy too.”

Some of the bedsheet bunched up as Kyouko formed a fist.

“Togami-kun,” she said. “What you have with Touko-san is beautiful, and I don’t want to come between you both.”

He snorted. They locked eyes.

“Do you really want me of all people to give you a lecture on this? What Touko and I feel for each other can’t be replaced or supplanted. You aren’t born with a certain amount of love that you have to divide up between people. You acquire more,” he said.

Then he added quickly,

“Not that what I feel about you... is that.”

Not now. Not yet. Maybe. Maybe never.

“Right,” she said.

“Do you still want to do this, Kirigiri?”

She nodded.

It might not have been that which he felt, which she felt, but it was something.

“I do,” she said.

Touko returned with several items in her arms and emptied the contents onto the bed. Three dildos, a bottle of lube and a few foil packets containing condoms all thumped on landing. Kyouko studied the foil backs and then turned her focus to the dildos. Two were of a similar size, while another was significantly larger.

“Has one captured your attention already, Kirigiri?” said Byakuya, presumably referring to the dildos, and Kyouko turned to him. He was smirking, cheeks flushed, but his eyes didn’t match his mirth yet. Not so soon after such a serious conversation.

“None of them in particular,” she replied, lips thinning as she looked away.

When Kyouko regained her slipped composure and turned back, she saw that Touko was holding one of the dildos. She couldn’t say if it was small, medium or big, having not seen enough dildos to judge them and compare them in relation to another, but of the three there, its size lay between the other two, slightly closer to the slimmer one. It was purple and on one end was a bulb that would fit inside the wielder.

“I’m going to bestow you a great honour,” said Touko, her eyes on the dildo that she caressed with one hand, running her fingers over the veins. “I’m going to... use this on you... and in exchange, you may sample my darling’s... love gun...”

The ends of her lips peaked.

“You mean his penis,” said Kyouko with a twinge of embarrassment. She brushed her fingers across the curve of her ear. “We’re not in a smutty novel. You don’t have to talk like that.”

“Gah!” Touko twitched and brandished the dildo.

Kyouko raised an arm in defense, but Touko just waved it around.

“I don’t want to know what lowbrow trash you read,” said Touko, shaking the dildo. “I don’t publish smut, but I’ve read a fair amount of it, and so many people get it wrong. In the narrative, you should avoid using any explicit nouns in the first place. I prefer to focus on the emotion than the body parts.”

With that out of her system, her breathing calmed. She put the dildo down, crawled over to Byakuya and gently spread his legs. Their lips connected as he raised his hips so they could pull down his underwear, which was a black thong with his family’s crest on the front, though the bulge within distended it a little. It was what he wore last time they did something of this nature.

He sat down again once his thong was on the floor. Touko settled on his lap and draped her arms over his shoulders. Her body bobbed as she gave a moan, and pressing closer, she ran her fingers through his hair, grinding against him. His hands held onto her hips, and her noises of pleasure echoed back from within Byakuya. Kyouko shifted, but the weight in her lower body did not dislodge.

The bed creaked, tattling on her. Touko pushed harder, bringing Byakuya onto his back, and when he lay flat, she slid off him, and Kyouko could see between his legs. Byakuya’s length wasn’t flopped down, but pointed upward. She craned her neck, not getting closer. He trimmed his hair down there.

“It won’t bite you,” said Touko, and she smirked as Kyouko drew nearer and stopped at the invisible line at Byakuya’s feet. “So you’ve never done this, right? Not even with Naegi?”

Kyouko flinched.

“No,” said Kyouko, with a whip of her tongue that caused Touko to wince. Byakuya lifted his upper body, resting on his elbows, and his lips lapsed into a thin grimace.

“W-Well, today is your lucky day,” said Touko, shoulders up, arms tucked in. “Get between his legs, and I’ll talk you through it.”

Touko relaxed as Kyouko raised her head and advanced inward. She sidled up to Kyouko’s side, staying outside the perimeter of Byakuya’s legs, and reached over to grip him in one hand.

“I know what you’re thinking,” said Touko boldly. “Blowjobs... You just use your mouth, right? Well, that’s wrong. The hands are important too. They’re an extension of the mouth, but also, don’t forget to add some spit. You wouldn’t want someone to go in dry, and the same goes for this too. Friction can be too uncomfortable without lubrication.”

She demonstrated a single hand motion. Up, then down.

“Just don’t use too much lubrication,” said Byakuya. “Or use your teeth.”

They really were having this conversation. His eyes flitted to Kyouko’s hands.

“Your gloves might prove an issue,” Byakuya noted.

Kyouko’s heart clenched but she didn’t bat an eyelid. “I would rather not take them off.”

“And I would rather not get chafed,” he replied.

“We have no choice,” said Touko, straight-faced like she was about to pass sentence. “We’ll have to do it together.”

Touko let go and formed her hand into a cup. She gathered up saliva in her mouth and slathered her palm, then she grabbed onto his length again. Initially, Touko pumped him solo, resting her other hand on his toned thigh, and Kyouko watched. Byakuya’s chest swelled and receded, his eyes heavy as she worked on him, pulling one way then the other. Within a minute, a clear globule formed at his head, which she swiped up in her palm and smeared down him. He groaned quietly, gripping the bedsheets while she repeated her strokes.

“You, Kirigiri. Follow along now,” said Touko, and she bowed down, bringing her face to his length. She didn’t jump straight into sucking, like Kyouko expected she might, but instead held onto his base and peppered him in kisses. Each kiss seemed to grow progressively sloppier and last longer.

Kyouko stooped down but stopped short of touching his length. She hesitated, eyeing it. Every breath felt deliberate.

Beside her, Touko’s kisses slowed and dragged. Her tongue emerged to lick and Kyouko blinked as Touko pointed Byakuya’s length upward. He didn’t flex, stiff and fully erect. Kyouko gulped and tried to will herself forward, to lap at him as much as Touko, who knew every line to trace that would have him squirm and wrangle out a gasp, but Kyouko seemed to only push herself against an imaginary wall.

Touko smacked her tongue against the head of his length several times before curling it into her mouth. When her tongue protruded again seconds later, it was pointy, and she targeted a small section on the underside of his length, near the end, earning a grunt from Byakuya that eased into a moan. Her eyes shut almost entirely and she shifted forward to suck on this area, eliciting more rumbles from his throat, and then she drew his head into her mouth. She bobbed her head, and while she didn’t take much of him in, her hand on his base stroked, twisted and massaged, and he grabbed some of her hair and groaned with pleasure. Kyouko’s eyes darted up to his face.

Most of the time, Touko’s mouth formed a tight seal around him, but occasionally, she relaxed to let more saliva out of her mouth, breathing loudly through her nose, and Kyouko was drawn back to Touko. By the time Touko lifted her head and swallowed, his length was coated in her, and a few seconds later, she turned to Kyouko and frowned.

“What is it?” asked Touko.

No words left Kyouko’s tight lips. Byakuya let his hand fall from Touko’s head and pushed hair from his eyes.

“It’s clean,” he said.

“And covered in spit,” commented Kyouko. Touko twitched.

“Huh? Are you worried about catching something from us?” asked Touko. “We’re both clean, so you know.”

“No. It’s not that,” said Kyouko. She shrugged and looked away. “I just need a moment.”

Touko gave a huff and slung her arm around Kyouko’s shoulders. Before realisation could light up Kyouko’s brain, Touko leaned in and drove her lips into Kyouko’s pair. Right away, her mouth was open, and after a few pants, Touko’s tongue tried to worm inside. Kyouko granted her entrance and grasped Touko’s waist while Touko wrapped her other arm around Kyouko and hugged her closer, pressing their lips into each other as much as they could.

The kiss grew sloppier with every second, and when Touko pulled back, saliva broke between them. Some glistened on Touko’s chin and lips. Some must have glistened on Kyouko.

Both caught their breath, slightly winded. Touko cupped the back of Kyouko’s head and guided her back to Byakuya, who had been idly tugging on himself but stopped as they closed in.

“Did that help?” asked Touko. “I’ll be right beside you, so you know.”

Kyouko narrowed her eyes but said, “I’m ready.”

She smiled slightly at Touko.

“Thank you,” said Kyouko, and Touko smiled back. With a small nudge on the back of her head by Touko, Kyouko closed the distance and brushed her lips against Byakuya.

He didn’t taste of anything in particular, she found, as she skimmed her lips up and down. She did perceive something faintly salty though. Maybe sweat, but mostly, she tasted saliva.

Touko lowered her head, curled her fingers around Byakuya’s base and licked alongside Kyouko. Her tongue deviated more than Kyouko’s and she flicked the head, then swirled it around. Byakuya held onto Touko’s head again, but he didn’t seem to be trying to direct Touko on what to do, where to go, and she roamed freely.

As the two women lapped at him, their tongues occasionally clamoured over the other. When Syo fronted, her ridiculously long tongue hung out of her mouth, but while Touko’s appeared lengthier than the average person, it wasn’t abnormal. Soaked, but not abnormal. Wet, warm, but not abnormal. Touko wrapped an arm around Kyouko, but she didn’t break her mouth’s pace. Byakuya’s thighs trembled, and even his regular breathing deepened, rougher, a roar when Touko took up their whole space and slurped Byakuya’s head, going down to sheathe most of him in her mouth.

Kyouko stared in awe as Touko came up for air.

“Do you think you can do it alone now?” asked Touko, licking her lips. “Or do you want to use the dildo on me instead?”

“I’m fine with the original arrangement,” said Kyouko.

“Good.” Touko rose more and Byakuya withdrew his hand. The bed shifted as Touko crawled over to the goodies that she retrieved from the drawer earlier. When Kyouko tried to watch, Byakuya grabbed her head and though not roughly, firmly turned her head back to him.

“Eyes forward, Kirigiri,” he said, showing a lot of teeth.

Remembering what she witnessed Touko doing, Kyouko curled her fingers around his base and returned with more vigour. Her tongue explored, drawing different paths each time, and his groans varied slightly. Byakuya pushed on her head, giving a low hiss as she slid her tongue down the vein on the underside of his length. She came up and repeated the motion, then at the top, when she made to go down again, he tugged.

It didn’t hurt, but she glared.

“On the underside, near the head, there’s a seam called the frenulum,” said Byakuya, and she understood. With her tongue, Kyouko prodded at the aforementioned spot, which Touko had sucked on before she took Byakuya’s head into her mouth, and his fingers tangled in her hair.

Kyouko played with it with the pointed end of her tongue, smirking at how he squirmed but didn’t yank her off. A hand fell onto Kyouko’s lower back. She didn’t turn, even letting another hand hike up her hips, and she gasped as a finger slipped past her black panties and between her lower folds, spreading something wet and cool through her warmth.

The finger pressed against Kyouko’s entrance but didn’t penetrate.

“Are you ready?” asked Touko, rubbing slow circles on Kyouko’s lower back.

“I am,” murmured Kyouko.

Touko pulled down Kyouko’s panties. As opposed to pushing her digit in, Touko massaged Kyouko’s thighs, prolonging what they both knew was to come, and when she returned one hand to Kyouko’s heat, she teased Kyouko’s entrance with her fingertip, still not dipping it in. Kyouko gritted her teeth as Touko’s touch veered off, stopping just shy of her bud before gliding back to her entrance. She was tempted to outright ask Touko to knock off the suspense, but she didn’t have to, as Touko finally sank her digit into Kyouko,

A gasp cracked from Kyouko. Her muscles squeezed against Touko’s finger as it probed, and she grabbed Byakuya’s length by the base. One of Touko’s gestures jogged Kyouko forward, and pinning her tongue to the base of her mouth, she opened wider to fit in his head.

He muffled her groans, hums that vibrated through Byakuya, leaving his lips in a throaty purr. She swayed back and forth between Byakuya’s length and Touko’s finger. Neither left her totally, and as Kyouko sucked, dribbling slightly, Touko wiggled her finger around, and when Touko tapped against just the right spot, Kyouko jolted. Touko retreated her digit to a shallower level and plunged in with another alongside it, stretching Kyouko’s walls.

Kyouko blew out through her nose. The arm and legs supporting her shook.

Despite Byakuya’s earlier qualms with stimulating him with a gloved hand, he didn’t complain as she jerked him in her fist where her mouth didn’t reach. Byakuya didn’t groan dramatically, but his breathing picked up speed. She clutched his thigh with her other hand and hoisted herself up, facing his length from above rather than from a lower angle between his legs, and didn’t try to deepthroat, setting a slow rhythm with her mouth that didn’t stray much from his tip, mostly using her tongue while her hand worked him faster. He throbbed in her firm grip, and the more Kyouko squirmed in Touko’s dexterity, in Touko’s mercy, the less she could concentrate on flicking her tongue in precise movements, and Kyouko started to depend more on her mouth than her tongue.

Touko extracted her fingers. Kyouko tried to clamp her thighs around Touko’s hand, but Touko managed to slip free. Loud buzzing erupted behind Kyouko, who frowned then tensed as something firm crept in that she was very certain wasn’t her finger. The sensation was uncomfortable, bordering on painful, and though Kyouko clenched her jaw, vocalising nothing, the object, the dildo, came to an abrupt halt.

“I can’t go in any further until you relax,” said Touko, resting a hand lightly on Kyouko’s behind.

Byakuya tilted Kyouko’s head back. His face glowed a raw pink.

“Would you rather have something smaller?” he asked.

“This is manageable,” mumbled Kyouko. She concentrated on her breathing and when she eventually relaxed, a hand stroking her cheek while another soothed her back, Touko continued forward.

The dildo was harder and colder than Byakuya’s length, which pulsated and though rigid, he had a bit of give. As for the dildo, it vibrated a bit, but most of that seemed to be happening on Touko’s end, where the other, smaller end had been inserted into her in the absence of a harness. Kyouko’s heart drummed faster as Touko edged the dildo in, withdrawing slightly before swinging back in a bit deeper the next time. Byakuya peered down at Kyouko, panting, absentmindedly fidgeting with some of her hair.

She dropped her gaze, strengthened her hold and drew him back into her mouth, feeling the dildo stretch her walls as it pushed in.

Once Touko decided that enough of the dildo was in, she shuffled her knees closer and held onto Kyouko’s hips with both hands. Kyouko lurched as Touko rocked into her, slowly at first, but as Kyouko gave less and less resistance, Touko sped up.

Keeping Byakuya in her mouth grew progressively harder with Touko’s thrusts ramming in from behind. Byakuya slid his hand to the top of Kyouko’s head, leaving her cheek. Kyouko steadied herself on his thigh, other hand fisted around his length, and let him fall out of her mouth so she could rub him against her lips and give her jaw a rest. Her tongue occasionally slipped out of her mouth to lick across the head, a few slaps tossed in here and there.

He groaned and dragged his heels closer to him. She glanced up. His face was slightly scrunched.

The background buzzing increased in volume. Touko gasped and though the first push that followed was a slow stagger, the few after were a little better, and the next lunges proved slicker, faster, harder, and had Kyouko crying out, soon for more. Kyouko kneaded Byakuya’s length, tongue crashing against him like waves against a cliff during a storm, and her hips danced in tandem with Touko, breasts unrestrained. Her body felt full, with Byakuya throbbing and wet in her mouth while Touko’s dildo kindled her lower core, filling her with smoke and sparks of pleasure.

“H-Hey,” Byakuya choked out, like he wasn’t sure of what he was saying as he spoke. “I’m going to... soon...”

His fingers scrambled in Kyouko’s hair. She widened her eyes.

“I s-suppose as a token of our fr-!” Touko half-moaned, half-wailed, “... t-that as a token of... something, you can taste...”

Another noise of arousal from Touko.

“... taste Byakuya-sama,” Touko forced out.

What an honour. Kyouko was honoured. Really.

“Okay, Kirigiri, just keep doing as you are,” said Byakuya.

Kyouko stared at him. He was a pink, naked, sweaty mess. Both of them were. All of them were. His length plopped out her mouth and she smeared him across her lips, her heart sprinting uphill. She could barely breathe as she nuzzled at his head, where he was most sensitive, while her fist bounced on autopilot, and she looked at him but at the same time, she didn’t, rather, she looked in his direction where he face happened to be.

Byakuya’s sky blue eyes clouded over moments before his hips quaked. Lightning struck. Kyouko lifted her head just as the first white string spurted out of him.

The rest flung against her face and breasts. Touko’s thrusts slowed and receded to a shallower depth She adjusted the dildo’s angle, experimenting, judging the success on how Kyouko groaned and grunted. As Kyouko absorbed the sensations from the dildo, she was conscious of how loud her body wanted to react, and all the sounds that must have flaked off her during the build up to this. Tension coiled inside her core, and when Touko hit a certain spot, it sent a pulse that washed through her, tingling in her extremities.

“There!” Kyouko pleaded. Yes, pleaded. She pleaded.

Touko gripped harder and pelted the desired area. Kyouko sucked in her cheeks and reached a hand between her legs, pinching and pulling her enlarged bud until together, they excited her muscles to spasm, and she cried out as her lower body convulsed. The knot in her centre screwed tighter until it tore, and the repercussions rattled in her head, her chest, her everything. She doubled over and slumped between Byakuya’s legs.

As loudly as she breathed, though, the vibrations of the active dildo drowned her out.

“Darling,” mewled Touko, who had a nest where braids had been. Kyouko raised her head.

The bed shook as Byakuya crawled over to Touko. He rested a hand on her thigh and peered down at the dildo, poking out over the top of her panties.

There was a pause.

“Darling?” said Touko again, biting her question mark onto her lower lip.

“It was many years ago,” he said under his breath, and he stooped down, accepting the dildo into his mouth.

Kyouko watched Touko edge closer to release. Touko couldn’t feel Byakuya’s mouth, his tongue, the saliva coating, but she would feel the part shaking in her, and his hand on her thigh, and the warmth in his eyes. Her toes curled and her breathing rasped until finally, she peaked, shuddering, moaning with her head thrown back.

Once the waves within Touko stopped battering her, she removed the dildo and lay on her back. The dildo had been turned off, but the room still buzzed.

“So...” Byakuya looked at Kyouko. “... did you find out what this means, Kirigiri?”

She just about managed to glare at him, but there was no fire behind it.

The room still buzzed.

“Let me ask it this way,” he said. “Would you like to stay the night here? Though, I think we should bathe before getting into bed.”

Now that, Kyouko could answer.

“I think I would like that,” she said.

Byakuya smiled, and Touko did too.


	9. Vertex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ty so much to maddie for beta-ing <3 <3 <3

The case had turned as cold as the snow that fell the previous night. Sawashiro watched her husband, Ishida, pore over the papers scattered across his desk. She bit the inside of her cheeks while he clenched his jaw as he hunted for a clue, any clue, that they may have missed. Every week, day, hour that passed for their clients must have been torture, and the missing body wouldn’t stop decomposing just for their sake.

There was a knock.

“Enter,” said Ishida.

Powdery, floral-oriental perfume scratched at the inside of Sawashiro’s nose as the door across the room creaked open.

“You wanted to see me?” asked Hikasa, hovering in the doorway. White walls sketched in around her.

Ishida gave a nod and gestured to the unoccupied chair on the other side of the desk to himself and his wife. Hikasa stepped into the office of their detective agency, shut the door behind herself, and strutted over. She sat down where requested and crossed one leg over the other, flaunting her faux leather boots.

Silence hung in blank space, thick and difficult to chew.

Finally, Ishida steepled his fingers, slathering Hikasa with a heavy look. “Hikasa... You are a peculiar woman, just like the rumours say.”

She quirked her brow.

He cleared his throat and flexed his neck and back. At no point, however, did he break eye contact. 

Sawashiro grasped Ishida’s arm and tried a glare of her own.

“We know what your game is,” she told Hikasa, gritting her teeth. “You’re trying to weasel your way between myself and my husband and disrupt the investigation... W-Well, that won’t work, you succubus!”

Her finger hammered the air.

“Only I can seduce my husband!”

Hikasa blinked like Sawashiro flicked water at her face. The silence became brittle, specks of glass between a thumb and index finger. 

“That’s...” Words turned into clouds, and Hikasa’s gut coiled like a tornado. She gulped and coordinated her tongue. “That’s not totally right. I don’t wish to hamper the investigation, and I don’t wish to wedge myself between you both and cause rot to form.”

Ishida pursed his lips. “Oh? So what is your deal? Are you a suspect or a red herring?” 

Or a vertex trying to create a heterosexual triangle with a side missing, like so many mainstream novels? Hikasa reached over and grabbed Sawashiro’s raised hand, holding it firmly. Ishida lifted his head and with his hands exposed, Hikasa rested her other hand onto his, filling in the missing side. Sawashiro and Ishida stared at her, mouths popping ajar.

A breath rushed into Hikasa’s mouth as she readied her response. Then Kyouko’s phone beeped on the bedside table. 

Kyouko was sucked out of the detective agency’s office and blown up into physical form on her bed. 

In this novella, Touko clearly based the protagonists on herself and her husband despite the different names, like several of the previous works by her that Kyouko had read over the past week, yet the rustle of the page as Kyouko turned to the next became part of the bedroom, as taken for granted as breathing and blinking, and she barely realised the action. Rather, she walked through the scenes as a dry, insightful narrator, brought to life by ink and paper. As for Hikasa, she had strong suspicions on who inspired that character.

With a frown, Kyouko picked up her phone and saw that the caller was Makoto.

“Naegi-kun,” she greeted as soon as she accepted the call.

“Kirigiri-san,” he replied slightly breathlessly. 

It wasn’t the sort of breathlessness after running a marathon, but when someone had been holding their breath and just released it in relief. 

“What is it?” asked Kyouko, tilting her head to one side.

“We have some catching up to do. Your case has been in several papers and on the internet,” he said, and she could visualise his smile. “I knew you could do it, Kirigiri-san. So has everything been wrapped up then?”

If only.

Kyouko stretched her legs out in front of her, and at the ankles, crossed them.

“Not yet. There is one victim whose murderer is unaccounted for, so I have been trying to figure out what happened there. Otherwise, I’ve been fine,” she said, staring into space. “Just... distracted.”

“So have you made good progress?” he asked, chipper. “Also, did you follow my advice? How has it been going with those two?”

She took a moment to work out what he meant. Makoto was referring to his suggestion that she have a get-together with Byakuya and Touko. 

They certainly did that.

“Naegi-kun,” she said, even though she hadn’t planned on what to say next. Kyouko pulled herself together and said, “Touko-san and Togami-kun...”

Her drop in volume had him say curiously, “Yes? What about them?”

He wasn’t in the room, but she felt his glow like a lit cottage on a snowy mountain. Rather than carefully navigate the maze of putting it delicately, Kyouko tore the piece of paper it was drawn on down the middle and blurted, “Things happened between us.”

“Things?” repeated Makoto, confused.

“Non-work related things,” she said, willing him to fill in the gaps. “Intimate things.”

Kyouko’s heart felt just a little bit lighter.

“You mean...?” he trailed off.

Seconds later, he realised. Well, reacted.

“W-What?” Makoto spluttered, and Kyouko could practically feel the spit that sprayed from his mouth.

She held the phone further away from her ear, cringing.

“Kirigiri-san!” said Makoto, on a strange verge of laughing and fainting. Mostly the latter. “This isn’t one of your jokes, is it?”

Kyouko cautiously returned the phone to her cheek.

“I’m not sure what you mean by it being one of my jokes, but I’m not joking,” she said. “We’ve become a lot closer.”

“I bet!”

Thank goodness that he couldn’t see her face. Makoto choked and took a while to compose himself.

“I meant, when you say something so surprising in a serious voice,” he clarified. There was hesitation, then he fumbled and added, “When did this, um, happen?”

She leaned back.

“At first, a few weeks ago,” she said.

“A few weeks ago?” he repeated loudly. “At first?”

Kyouko furrowed her brow. “Why, did you wish for me to report it to you?”

“No! It’s just I’m surprised,” Makoto explained. “How did this even start?”

For the next several minutes, Kyouko described her stay at the Togami manor so far, uninterrupted no matter how her heart pounded, from when Byakuya greeted her at the front door to last night, when the three of them relaxed in their spacious bath, Touko curled up against Byakuya’s side while Kyouko sat opposite, facing them, their feet touching.

Her tale drew to an end and Kyouko tried to wait through the silence that met her, but it pressed uncomfortably against the inside of her head, attempting to burst out.

“Naegi-kun?” she said.

“Wow,” he said. He gave a nervous laugh. “Sorry. I’m just surprised. Ah, I already said that, I didn’t I?”

“How do you feel about it?” she asked, shoulders hunched. “Other than surprised.”

Makoto didn’t answer right away.

“Are you happy?” said Makoto.

She opened her mouth, closed it, then spoke.

“I am,” she supposed. “They don’t give good first impressions, but...”

He snorted. Kyouko grinned.

“Then I’m happy for you, really,” he said. “Komaru hasn’t mentioned this at all, so I wonder if Touko-san told her or made her keep it secret.”

Somehow, that had slipped her mind. She widened her eyes. “Naegi-kun, please don’t...”

“I won’t tell anyone,” he promised. Kyouko pouted.

“Curse you and your inviting nature,” grumbled Kyouko, feeling like she had been no better than a g iddy school girl . Makoto laughed.

“Well, congratulations on it,” he said, then his tone took on a more serious note. “How has the case been going? With the last guy, I mean.”

Her eyes flickered.

“I’m afraid that I have to be tight-lipped about that,” she said.

“Huh? Does that mean you’ve got a lead?”

“The hitman that Togami-kun’s guards captured has revealed all about five of the victims. A secret, illegal deal cut out Towa-san, who hired a hitman to murder those involved. However, the hitman claimed that he did not kill Sugawara nor does he know who did.”

She clenched a fist by her thigh.

“He could be lying, but I believe him,” she said softly. Her voice would have been lost in the crackle of a bad connection. “Someone else murdered him.”

At the earliest, it could have been shortly before the hitman opened fire, as there were witness accounts for Osamu not too long prior to the hitman’s attack, but the person had to be someone who would have been able to slip away during or before the commotion. No one could have done it after.

In theory.

“It sounds like you might know who’s responsible,” said Makoto.

Kyouko didn’t answer, and a series of knocks saved her from having to do so.

“Kirigiri-san?” came Chisa’s voice from the other side of the door. “Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Thank you,” said Kyouko. She lowered her voice. “Naegi-kun, I’m afraid that I will have to end our conversation here. I’m expected in the dining room.”

“No problem,” said Makoto. “It was really nice talking to you again.”

She smiled.

“Likewise. Goodbye, Naegi-kun. Give Komaru and Fujisaki-san my regards,” she said, and she ended the call.

When Kyouko arrived at the dining room, with its royal reds and golds, she found both Byakuya and Touko there, as had become increasingly common. Other than them and their staff, there was no one else present. No guests.

“Good evening,” said Kyouko as she sat on Touko’s other side.

“Good evening,” replied Byakuya, and Touko echoed him.

A silver-haired maid that Kyouko recognised from previous days brought out their food, masterfully carrying everything on trays on her hands, arms, and even her head. Touko had called her ‘Tojo’. Kyouko straightened but didn’t get the chance to offer to help. Tojo twitched her arms like flapping her wings, and the trays and plates landed on the table, undisturbed and intact. She put down the tray on her head last, and then backed away.

“... Thank you?” said Kyouko, saying it like a question.

Byakuya smirked at Kyouko. “Her name is Kirumi Tojo. She recently graduated from Hope’s Peak as Super High School Level Maid, and I have been putting her to good use.”

Kirumi gave a quick curtsey to acknowledge him.

“I see,” said Kyouko, and she helped herself to some servings from the tableware dotted around the table. This evening consisted of French cuisine, and she ate her slow-cooked onion chicken with vegetable sides without talking.

She appreciated how no one had to force conversation. Even Byakuya and Touko didn’t talk as they fed each other. After the meal, Byakuya rose first and strode toward the door. Touko followed, while Kyouko merely stood, and halfway across the room, Touko beckoned for Kyouko to follow, so she did, all the way to the Togami master bedroom and then inside.

In the bathroom adjoined to it, while Touko and Kyouko loitered in the bedroom, Byakuya ran a hot bath. He called for them once it had filled, having added bubbles and placed lit candles around the room. The bath wasn’t a long oblong like most standard baths but was a sector shape, with three grooves for people to fit in, and contained anti slip mats. Spacious for two people, and cosy for three without being uncomfortable. It wouldn’t be out of place in a brochure.

Byakuya let them get into the bath before he dimmed the lights and joined them, sinking into the water. On this occasion, Byakuya seated himself opposite Touko, who was beside Kyouko. Touko grabbed Byakuya’s ankle and drew his foot onto her lap. She started massaging him. He tipped his head back and shut his eyes.

“Ah,” said Byakuya. The bath water gave a warble. “The music.”

Specifically, the lack of.

“I could sing to you, darling, though I would prefer to hear you,” said Touko, and Byakuya grimaced slightly.

“I would rather not sing,” said Byakuya.

Kyouko quirked her brow. One time, at Hope’s Peak, their classmate, Leon Kuwata, organised a karaoke night, and by the end of the evening, everyone had sang at least once, including Byakuya, Kyouko and Touko. As far as she could recall, he hadn’t been bad. Just not outstanding compared to some of the others, like Sayaka.

She wrinkled her nose.

Meanwhile, Touko wringed Byakuya’s toes, beginning with the biggest.

“Your voice is beautiful,” said Touko wistfully, but Byakuya’s expression wouldn’t budge.

“You don’t have to be shy,” Kyouko chimed in. “I’ve seen you naked.”

Though, being naked here seemed much more revealing than being naked on a bed.

“I’m not shy,” said Byakuya, sinking.

“Of course not,” said Touko, pressing into the sole of his foot now. Byakuya shuddered and straightened up. “You have a lot of knots, darling.”

He just hummed, squirming less. A minute later, Touko swapped to his other foot.

When she finished that one, Byakuya said, “I’ll rinse your hair.”

Touko beamed and waddled over to him on her knees. She turned around so she faced toward Kyouko and sat between his legs. Byakuya reached over to a ledge on the bath and picked up a grey jug. He scooped up some water, tilted Touko’s head back and poured it into her hair, combing his fingers gently through it after, wiggling his digits when obstructed by knots.

Kyouko shot glances at his hand as he worked through Touko’s hair, wetting it then applying shampoo, but her gaze kept getting pulled toward Byakuya’s face. His softened features could have been explained away by the steam, but Kyouko knew that what she saw wasn’t an illusion.

Byakuya finished shampooing her hair and said, “Kirigiri.”

She met his eyes quickly. “Yes?”

“Move closer so Fukawa can reach you.”

“All right.” Kyouko shuffled over, keeping her gloves away from the water, and Touko physically turned Kyouko around so Kyouko had her back to Touko. Her hair wasn’t as long as Touko’s, but it still covered most of her back. 

Touko picked at Kyouko’s hair a bit and then took the jug, swallowing up water and spilling it over her. Where Touko’s legs touched Kyouko, the skin was smooth. After unleashing a few rounds onto Kyouko, Touko passed the jug back to Byakuya, who set it down on the ledge with a thud, and she squeezed out the excess water. She squirted shampoo into her palms and rubbed it into Kyouko’s scalp while Byakuya treated Touko’s hair with conditioner.

A sigh escaped Kyouko.

The jug rasped behind her and more water raced down Kyouko in a cascade. Byakuya received the jug from her but he didn’t rinse the conditioner out of Touko’s hair right away, instead putting it down, soaping up a loofah and scrubbing Touko. When done with that, he combed through Touko’s hair while she used the conditioner on Kyouko, and Kyouko felt Touko twitch as Byakuya unsnarled Touko’s waterfall of hair. 

He rinsed out the conditioner with the jug. Touko shifted and began washing Kyouko with the loofah, first lightly but then firmer. 

Her skin felt aglow by the time Touko put down the loofah. Byakuya passed the comb to Touko and brushed Kyouko’s hair before rinsing it. Now, it was Byakuya’s turn, and Touko teetered around and made quick work of him. With everyone clean, they had no need to be in the bath any longer, but no one made any moves toward leaving the bath’s warmth.

Candlelight impersonated twinkling stars. Kyouko had returned to the other side of the bath and watched Touko, who had cosied up into Byakuya’s side and played absentmindedly with a strand of his hair. It had grown since Kyouko’s first day here. Not a lot, but she noticed. She had noticed a lot more things recently.

Remembering some of the photographs in the library’s backroom, Kyouko said, “Togami-kun.”

He lazily fixed his eyes on her. “Yes?”

“When I was in the storage room a while back, I found several photographs.”

“Go on.”

“In a few of them, you had long hair. I assume you had long hair when pretending to be Polaris.”

Touko stopped fiddling with his hair but she didn’t lower her hand. She turned to Kyouko. He was silent for a bit, but then he spoke.

“Yes,” he said.

Kyouko reclined slightly. The bath was hard against her shoulder blades. “I was curious about the purpose of keeping those photographs. It was just a disguise, right?”

He didn’t say anything for a while, again.

“As Polaris, I did not wear a wig,” he said, like the slow drip of water. “I indeed had long hair, but I didn’t grow it out for the purpose of donning a disguise one day in the future. Up until that point, I hadn’t been able to fully express myself, questioning certain things and under pressure by the conglomerate’s expectations, but I got the chance to openly present as feminine at this phase in the competition. My mother’s maiden name is Polanski. I like the name Polaris, so I used that as a name. When Touko and I have a daughter, it is a name which we will consider.” 

Byakuya stared upward.

“Usually, I have to be Byakuya, but this gave me the chance to explore other facets of myself,” he said, shoulders lowered and lax.

“What did you find in your exploration?” asked Kyouko. Touko glared.

“You’re being nosey,” Touko complained.

“It’s fine,” said Byakuya. He wrapped his arm around Touko, who relaxed against his side. “Both of them are me. That’s what I found out. Only a few people know me as Polaris, and for now, I intend it to stay that way.”

Kyouko nodded. Touko rubbed a strand of his hair between her fingers.

“You’re beautiful,” she told him, and Byakuya’s smirk tried to downplay how he coloured. Tried was the keyword.

“Have you got all the conditioner out?” he asked. She checked.

“You’ve still got some conditioner in,” she said even though he didn’t, and she picked up the jug again. Touko poured, then she replenished the loofah with more soap and gave him another go over. 

With all of them thoroughly washed and their skin pruney, Byakuya climbed out of the bath. Kyouko and Touko followed after, and they crossed over to the towel rack. Three white Egyptian cotton towels waited for them, draped over a sleek rail. Byakuya patted himself down, took a dressing gown off a hook and slipped into it. 

He left the bathroom first and walked over to their bed. It sank under his weight. Touko stayed behind, rubbed condensation off her glasses and opened a cabinet under the sink, from which she retrieved a hairdryer, and went over to him with a skip in her step, holding her towel up by pinning her elbows to her sides rather than rely on her clumsy beginning of a knot. Kyouko padded out after her, but while Touko plugged in the hairdryer and slumped down beside Byakuya, Kyouko remained standing up, facing them.

“You’re not a coat stand. Dry off a bit and then sit,” said Byakuya.

She perched on the edge of their bed with them, her mouth a hard line, with Touko in the middle of the row of three. Byakuya folded his arms over his chest and turned his head, looking past his wife.

“Touko and I have been discussing things about you,” he announced, his features impenetrable.

Kyouko gave him a level stare. “Oh?”

“What are your plans for once you solve Sugawara’s murder?” asked Byakuya. Next to him, Touko stooped her head and fidgeted, peeking at Kyouko.

“I will move onto another case,” said Kyouko. “I’m a detective. It’s my livelihood.”

Byakuya grabbed a pair of white glasses from a small rack by the bed, and he put them on.

“I see... and that would involve being away a lot,” he said.

Kyouko narrowed her eyes.

“I can see what you’re leading to,” she said. Her heart swooped then drummed, but her face didn’t so much as quiver and she didn’t stutter either. “You want me to stay here.”

She could feel her cheeks warm like she was in the bath again.

He shifted slightly and said, “It’s certainly an option, but knowing you as I do now, I suspect that you will be away a lot. But that won’t matter.”

“B-Byakuya and I are fully capable of a long distance relationship,” Touko piped up, nodding fervently and looking at Kyouko unashamedly. “Not everyone is, but for us... our feelings don’t dwindle if we don’t talk everyday. I don’t talk to Komaru on a daily basis, but when we do, it’s like only a night has passed for me, and as a child, my friend, Kameko, would often be gone for months at a time.”

Kyouko’s mind whirled as she caught up with what Touko had said, having been tripped up by the word ‘relationship’ near the beginning of Touko’s passionate speech. Her heart was still fluttering as she said, “This is a big offer... and very sudden.”

Touko furrowed her brow.

“So... is that a no?” she said with an edge of disappointment.

“It’s not a no,” clarified Kyouko. “For now, I wish to focus on the case, and I’m sure that you both want that as well... to find out who is behind Osamu Sugawara’s death.”

She kept an eye on the fortress built onto Byakuya’s face.

“Indeed,” he said with strong eye contact, fractured only by a blink. He pushed up his glasses. “Well, Kirigiri, just don’t forget that after you leave, you are welcome to return and we can pick things up from where we left them. How close do you think you are to figuring out the identity of whoever we’re after?”

“Very close,” said Kyouko to Byakuya, with just one person between them.

Byakuya switched on the hairdryer and blew hot air onto Touko. Kyouko crawled to the headboard. She turned the screen of her phone on and opened up a detective novel that she had downloaded on Byakuya’s recommendation. The roar of the hairdryer provided white noise that blocked out any distractions.

After a while, the hairdryer quietened.

“Do you wish to use the hairdryer?” asked Byakuya. “Kirigiri?”

Kyouko turned off the screen and intended to take the hairdryer from Byakuya, but Touko plucked it from his hands and waited for Kyouko to crawl over. When Kyouko had drawn a bit nearer, Touko closed the distance on her hands and knees and with a press of a button, brought the hairdryer back to life. She blew it through Kyouko’s hair, running her fingers through it, untangling any knots that had survived the bath. 

Byakuya left them be. He got up, dressed himself in checkered pyjamas, picked out a book from a wooden case and relaxed on the bed, one leg crossed over the other as he lay on his back, propped up by a few pillows.

The hair dryer fell silent for a final time that night. As if on cue, Byakuya shut his book and set it aside. Kyouko watched him unscrew the lid off a bottle on the bedside table. Touko jumped up, darted over to a chest of drawers and pulled out a violet nightdress. She put it on and grabbed an empty glass from a desk that wore paper clutter as a thin wig. 

Then she left the room, and the door hushed the room as it shut behind her. Byakuya tilted his bottle so a pill popped out and landed in his palm.

“Sleeping medicine... Those reduce REM cycles,” said Kyouko, recalling a conversation that she overheard near the beginning of her stay.

“Correct,” said Byakuya, studying the pill with slightly narrowed eyes.

She picked her way through her mind, careful which words she let herself touch down on. “Do you usually take pills to help you sleep, or is this something that you’ve only done since the shootings?”

Byakuya glanced at her.

“The latter,” he said.

“I see,” said Kyouko, and she looked away.

* * *

 

Kyouko awoke to buzzing. Any minor movements that she performed in response were overshadowed by Byakuya, who rolled onto his side and patted against the bedside table until his hand fell down against his phone. He sat up and accepted the call.

“Who is this?” he asked, too tired to be loud. “How did you get my number?”

An unknown caller, perhaps.

“I was wondering when you would contact me,” he said, quieter. He swung his legs around so they hung over the side of the bed. “What is it?”

She couldn’t hear the caller, whoever they were, but through her almost shut eyes, she saw Byakuya tense at whatever they said into his ear.

“Give me a moment,” he said, determined to keep his voice down, and he rose from the bed. 

Sensing that he was about to turn around, Kyouko closed her eyes, breathing slowly and regularly. If Byakuya knew that she was awake, he didn’t say anything about it, and a few seconds later, she heard him pad over to the bathroom. The door shut with a click.

Kyouko chanced opening her eyes slightly. Byakuya wasn’t in the bedroom anymore, and she couldn’t hear him.

Until he blurted out, 

“You-?”

He lowered his volume after that, but Kyouko could make out snippets. Hard breaths.

“Where are you...? I insist... How much money...? An hour...”

Kyouko closed her eyes again and heard the bathroom door open. Byakuya rummaged around where the wardrobe was and shortly after, left the room, shutting the door carefully behind himself. 

A few beats passed. She propped herself up on one arm and felt a hand clutch her arm. It could only belong to one person, and despite knowing who it was, Kyouko stiffened.

“Touko-san,” said Kyouko without looking at her, hushed.

“I heard him,” replied Touko. “Remember, I’m good at pretending to be asleep... Never mind asking why.”

Her fingers dug in.

“We... have to follow him, don’t we?” she said and Kyouko turned. Touko didn’t quite meet Kyouko’s gaze.

Kyouko wet her lips before saying, “Right. We should follow, quickly, before we lose him.”

Staying in their pyjamas, the women slipped out of the room. First, they headed toward the dining room, finding the door shut when they got there. Kyouko couldn’t tell if he was in there, but rather than risk getting caught, they backtracked a little until they met Kirumi, who was carrying laundry. 

“Tojo-san,” greeted Kyouko.

“Hello, Kirigiri-san. Togami-sama,” replied Kirumi, bending her knees in a curtsey. “You’re up early.”

“Have you seen Togami-kun this morning?” asked Kyouko. Touko nibbled on a fingernail beside her.

“I have. He seemed to be going to the guest wing,” said Kirumi. “Do you wish me to alert him for you?”

“No!” Touko blurted. Kirumi stared. “I can do it myself. Also... I wanted to surprise him, so don’t tell him I’m awake yet.”

“Of course,” said Kirumi, recovering quickly from the outburst, and she flitted away.

The two women headed in the opposite direction. After they had rounded a corner, Kyouko said quietly, “That was good thinking, Touko-san.”

Touko hesitated. She blushed a bit, held onto her own elbow and said, “Thanks...”

Kyouko grinned slightly. They arrived at the guest wing within minutes. It contained several rooms, but after passing a few in the second corridor, voices could be heard behind one of the doors.

“How do I look?” asked Byakuya.

Wordlessly, they approached the door and strained their ears.

“Beautiful,” said Chisa.

Touko narrowed her eyes. Kyouko squeezed her shoulder and frowned.

“I don’t care about looking beautiful,” said Byakuya.

“That doesn’t mean you’re not,” said Chisa, as bright as a blue sky. “I doubt any of the staff will recognise you, but you’ve got to ditch the glasses. They’re a big giveaway.”

A pause. Something clicked. Probably his glasses. Had to be his glasses.

“Perfect! So when can I expect you back, Togami-sama?” asked Chisa.

“I shouldn’t be too long. A few hours at most.”

“I didn’t know being your head butler would be so action-packed. Is it always like this with you and Pennyworth?”

Silence.

“If you keep looking like that, it’ll be like my old friend, Bandai-kun, used to say. ‘Don’t pull faces, the wind will change and spite your fields.”

“... That’s not how it goes.”

“That’s what he used to say! Now, relax your face or your eyeliner will come out weird.”

“I can do it myself.”

Neither of them talked for a while, and neither did Touko nor Kyouko. All they could hear were small thuds and snaps of plastic until a chair creaked. Kyouko grabbed Touko’s hand and hauled her down the corridor. Thankfully, Touko made her footsteps fairly light from the get-go, and they rounded a corner.

Hearts racing, they peeked into the corridor. The door that they had been eavesdropping at opened, and from the room emerged a tall woman with long, blonde hair. She wore maid attire like the other maids barring Chisa, whose was blue where everyone else’s outfits were black. Her skirt ended slightly below the knees, no different from the other maids, but the woman wasn’t like the other maids because she wasn’t a maid, really, but Byakuya.

“Who’s there?” Byakuya barked. 

Touko tensed, but she and Kyouko didn’t crack. They ducked away and heard the door by Byakuya growl as it moved. Inward or outward, Kyouko couldn’t tell.

“I heard someone,” said Byakuya, sounding like he was still in the corridor. “Answer me!”

“... That would be me,” revealed Kirumi. Kyouko and Touko creeped their heads forward by fractions. Kirumi stood near the top of the stairs, on the other end of the corridor to where Kyouko and Touko were hiding, and Byakuya’s attention was solely on her.

“What are you doing here?” Byakuya asked her.

“I’m collecting laundry,” said Kirumi.

Silence wobbled on a tightrope.

“Leave,” said Byakuya.

Kirumi disappeared with armfuls of laundry. Her footsteps thumped and petered out. The door groaned again, and there more footsteps; however, this time, there were two sets, as Chisa and Byakuya descended the stairs. Once they they left Kyouko’s earshot, Touko whined and clutched her head.

“A strange phone call... A disguise...” Touko whimpered. “What could it mean...? What...?”

“I don’t think he’s cheating on you,” said Kyouko.

Touko paused. Her face remained scrunched.

“... Eh?” went Touko. She twitched and straightened up. “Don’t... Don’t be an idiot!”

Kyouko resisted the impulse to cover Touko’s mouth and shifted her head back, keeping her face stern.

“Of course my darling wouldn’t cheat on me,” Touko hissed. “What a thing to say...! Keh!”

“I apologise... I just assumed that you were on that line of thought,” said Kyouko. “It does seem like he is, isn’t he? But no... You’re right. He’s not.”

“Then...?” prompted Touko.

“Then let’s follow him,” said Kyouko.

“In our pyjamas?” Touko scoffed.

Kyouko shook her head and made a beeline for the guestroom that she had first stayed in when she came to the manor. 

They didn’t have much time to play around with, so she grabbed two jackets, two pairs of boots and they bolted down the stairs. At the bottom, they looked both ways, but there was no sign of Byakuya.

“Where is he?” Touko fussed, turning her head in all directions, almost dislocating her neck.

“I’ll go to the garages. Don’t let yourself be known to him, or else we might not find out what’s happening,” said Kyouko, and with no time to spare, she hurried off.

“I’ll... use my sense of smell...!” Touko announced, and Kyouko heard her speed away.

Kyouko didn’t stumble upon him and Chisa on the way there, and she didn’t see them in the garage. The room smelled predominantly of leather and was vast with several expensive cars, resembling a showroom. In case he came in after, she slunk to the side of the room and crouched behind a car. Having not come in here many times since her arrival at the manor, as she usually got into one of the cars at the front of the mansion, she didn’t know if any were already missing. If with that head start of roughly two minutes, he had managed to get away.

Her phone vibrated, a quiet purr.

She checked her phone.

Touko sent her a text.

Byakuya was headed her way.

Sure enough, within a minute, she heard footsteps, and she glimpsed Byakuya and Chisa walk over to one of the cars. With her phone on silent, she sent a text to Touko, requesting that she wait outside the garages until her say so, and Kyouko’s say so happened just after Chisa drove out with Byakuya in the seat next to her.

“W-Well?” asked Touko, confronted by Kyouko, who tossed a helmet at her. She squawked and almost dropped it.

“Do the cars have GPS?” asked Kyouko.

Touko nodded. “Of course... In case the car is stolen.”

“That’s how we’ll follow them.”

“And the helmet?”

Kyouko smirked.

“We’re following them on motorcycle.”


	10. Ballsy

Riding a motorcycle was the closest that Kyouko had come to flying, not including planes. 

Actually, maybe including planes. No windows or pillars blocked Kyouko’s vision as the motorcycle hurtled down the country road. Her surroundings poured in from all sides, sunset red and sky blue watercolour staining the evening purple in blotches where they overlapped. The stretching road crackled grey. Wind buzzed white noise as she focused on the road, her hands and feet working on autopilot, making operating the motorcycle look easy, second-nature. No nuance passed her, no temperature drop, no anything. She felt everything intensely.

“Wow, the sky’s beautiful,” came a voice behind her, soft, so soft that Kyouko might have just imagined the statement instead of hearing it. 

Then the arms around her middle tightened. Real. There with her. She wasn’t alone. Warmth spread across Kyouko’s face like a puff of air held in for too long.

“That was so exciting!” came the same voice, clearer and louder.

Kyouko nodded.

“You have so much freedom on a motorcycle...” A pause. “It’s so cool. You’re so cool, Kyouko.”

A hand landed gently on the back of Kyouko’s hand, now on her lap. She raised her head. Her gaze trailed up the arm stretched across the blanket. They weren’t on the motorcycle and the person didn’t sit behind her anymore. Instead, the two of them rested in a secluded spot near the road, hidden behind some trees.

Sayaka had the cutest smile of anyone that Kyouko knew.

“Don’t you get scared?” asked Sayaka with wide eyes and rosy cheeks. Traffic occasionally rumbled in the distance.

Kyouko shook her head.

“Oh, wow,” said Sayaka, wearing dimples. She raised her other hand to her own cheek. Her fingers curled and she blinked slowly, like a cat showing a human that it trusted them. “I felt so free on your motorbike. To be truly free... it’s exhilarating just thinking about it.”

“With freedom comes responsibility. When I ride, I must be hyper-aware and I cannot put my trust in others,” said Kyouko. Under the trees, there were more shadows than shards of light. “As I ride, I have to wonder... what is that car going to do? Has that lorry seen me? Am I in a blindspot? I am free, but I have no authority over those on the road.”

Sayaka squeezed Kyouko’s hand, still touching herself on the cheek with her other.

“Doesn’t it ever get lonely?” she asked Kyouko.

“I don’t mind.”

The grip on Kyouko’s hand slackened. Sayaka bit her lip and slowly lifted her hand off Kyouko. She touched her palm against Kyouko’s cheek, but a second later, she withdrew her hand, but not all the way back. It hovered in the space between them.

“Is something wrong?” asked Kyouko, and she tilted her head to one side.

“Um...” Sayaka’s face crumpled a little. She shook her head, but the tension didn’t spray off like water from a dog. It soaked through. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry.”

Kyouko stared at her a bit longer before turning away and casting her eyes out toward rolls of grassy fields. The Sun kissed the top of the furthest one. Cicadas performed a private choir for the couple, and traffic took part as bass.

“Beautiful,” said Sayaka, and Kyouko hummed in agreement. She turned back to Sayaka and realised that Sayaka wasn’t watching the sunset. 

Sayaka was watching Kyouko. Heat flushed through Kyouko’s face and she quickly looked at the picnic that had been set out. Not a crumb seemed out of place, no icing on a cupcake smeared or any surface cracked. They were high quality, like designed for a scene in an anime and painted with care, or written in a novel lovingly.

“They are real,” Sayaka assured her, and Kyouko gave a start.

A giggle tickled Sayaka’s throat. The skin by her eyes crinkled with her smile.

“Here, you have some food on your face,” said Sayaka, and she reached forward, brushing her fingers against Kyouko’s cheek. After the light touch, she lingered, faltered, like the daisies’ yellow faces were the lens of the paparazzi’s cameras, like the grass was hair that obscured the ears of the earth, all ready to tell the world what they were doing.

Sayaka’s hand crumbled off her cheek, and her body dissolved into urban greys. Kyouko’s sharp intake of breath shifted into the grind of gravel against her motorcycle wheels. As the vehicle slowed to a stop in a street in a shopping district, Kyouko took her left foot off the peg, but she didn’t place it on the ground until the motorcycle stopped completely.

“I’m going to hurl,” said Touko weakly, her arms, not Sayaka’s arms, wrapped around Kyouko from behind.

“Please don’t do it on my back,” said Kyouko, composed.

Touko pulled away from her. Kyouko waited for Touko to slip off the motorbike, and instead heard a thud. She twisted around and saw Touko lying facedown on the pavement.

“Are you all right, Touko-san?” asked Kyouko, and she took off her helmet. The one that Touko was wearing should have protected her head in the fall.

“... I’m fine,” said Touko, but she didn’t get up. “I’ve probably just broken a bone or two.”

There was the sarcasm. At least, Kyouko hoped it was sarcasm, and she hesitated. A glimpse of leather on Touko’s thigh did not get past Kyouko, whose eyes widened a fraction, but Touko gave a slow wiggle and her skirt shifted and settled, covering it. Despite the movement, Touko still didn’t rise from an undignified heap on the ground.

Kyouko pushed some hair from her face.

“Yukizome-san dropped Togami-kun off in a street a short distance back. We have no time to fritter away. We need to tail him before we lose sight of him,” said Kyouko.

“What?” said Touko, and she jumped up, making a miraculous recovery all of a sudden. She struggled her helmet off. “S-Stop yapping and go ahead without me then!”

Touko yelped as Kyouko whipped her hand over Touko’s mouth. Kyouko’s eyes narrowed.

“We both need to be quiet and whatever we see, unless Togami-kun is in immediate danger, we mustn’t let ourselves be revealed,” said Kyouko, but Touko had made a good point so Kyouko lowered her hand to grab Touko’s hand and they started jogging, leaving their helmets locked to the motorcycle.

“Spying on my darling,” Touko said, panting a little already, “I... I don’t know if I can do it with a clear conscious.”

“Didn’t you basically do that before you were dating?” asked Kyouko, quirking her brow.

Touko squeaked. “No! He knew that I was there...”

Kyouko faced forward.

“We’re wasting time,” said Kyouko. “But he can’t have gone too far without drawing attention to himself.”

They rounded the corner and slowed down, entering a shopping district. A range of aromas swamped them. It smelled like a laundromat, worn clothes mixed with freshly cleaned, humid air pressing down on concrete and a stale cigarette sort of scent. Clusters of people drifted across the pavements and the road, which had no cars or public transport in sight on it. Indeed, parasols stood to attention, scattered across the road, with occupied deckchairs beneath them. Kyouko and Touko passed a group of men under one of the parasols, and seconds later, a cyclist whizzed by.

“Ooh-woo,” went Touko, for lack of better way to describe the noise other than to attempt it phonetically. She shrunk against Kyouko’s side. “There are nearly as many signs as people... How are we supposed to spot him or even know what place he went into?”

“It’s not just us spotting him. There’s a possibility of the reverse happening - him seeing us first,” said Kyouko, and she turned her head from one side to another, scanning the surrounding area.

Mannequins outside a storefront captured her attention. Kyouko led Touko to the store and stopped in front of a mannequin decked out in a straw hat, sunglasses, a scarf and a buckskin jacket.

“How much money do you have on you?” she asked Touko, who squirmed.

“Money...?” Touko mumbled into her fist.

In her haste, Touko had grabbed a coat but not her purse. Fortunately for Touko, Kyouko had nabbed hers on the way out of the manor. Kyouko rummaged through it, preferring to use physical money than a card, and they bought a pack of mouth masks, a pair of scarves and one set of sunglasses. They put the mouth masks on, and Kyouko wore the sunglasses.

“Before we continue, Touko-san, I need you to give me Syo’s scissors,” said Kyouko.

“... Eh?” said Touko, freezing.

“I saw your holster earlier.” Kyouko folded her arms over her chest. “Give me the scissors. I won’t have you or Syo do anything reckless.”

“They’re not Syo’s scissors,” said Touko, but she hitched up her skirt and gave the holster over. Indeed, there was only one pair of scissors in it and it wasn’t the ones that Syo flourished once upon a time ago. “Those things, she gave them to Byakuya the night before our wedding.”

Kyouko turned away. “Wait here for a moment.”

She flitted into a nearby alley. Finding herself alone there, Kyouko hooked her fingers through the holes of the scissors and with her other hand, clutched her hair in a ponytail. In a clean cut, a length of hair fell, leaving the rest just shy of shoulder length, and she returned to the main area with her chin held high.

Touko caught sight of her and inhaled. Anticipating her shriek, Kyouko slapped a hand over Touko’s mouth again, waiting for Touko’s lips to stop vibrating before she withdrew her hand.

“W-Why the hell did you do that?” hissed Touko. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Long violet hair is a giveaway,” said Kyouko calmly. “And I’ve been wanting to cut it, anyway.”

“Spoke so casually! But didn’t you...?” Touko seemed to short circuit and shook her head. “You’re unbelievable. Mad, even...”

“You shouldn’t dismiss people with another way of thinking as ‘mad’,” said Kyouko with a frown. “That’s a dangerous thing to do.”

“Geez,” sulked Touko, but her lips quivered, fighting back a smile. With a hint of fondness, she added, “That sounds like something Byakuya would say.”

Kyouko wrapped the scarf around her neck while Touko wore hers on their head. Before they proceeded, Kyouko inspected Touko from an arm’s distance. The bookworm glasses were a trademark of Touko. She took off Touko’s glasses and tucked them into Touko’s pocket. 

There. Now, Touko was barely recognisable. Touko blinked, and she tensed when Kyouko squeezed her hand, but then she relaxed, and they set off.

To an outsider, they must have appeared to be two close friends out shopping for the day, peering over at different establishments, prospective customers that moved on empty-handed, one shop after another, again and again. They wouldn’t have been completely wrong, thinking that. Kyouko considered Touko a good friend by this point, but they weren’t customers, and good friend maybe didn’t cover the entirety of what they were.

Weaving between groups of bumbling shoppers, Kyouko peeked into buildings until she glanced into a café and did a double take. Her heart skipped but she marched them past the window front before stopping abruptly and tugging sharply on Touko’s arm.

“Wh-?” Touko started, too loudly, and Kyouko whipped up a hand to cover Touko’s mouth. 

She felt Touko’s lips contort against her hand, even with gloves on, and with her other hand, she pointed toward the café, and Touko moved her glare in that direction. Touko mumbled something into Kyouko’s hand and Kyouko removed it from her mouth.

“What?” Touko hissed. “Did you see Byakuya?”

He wouldn’t have been able to overhear them, but Kyouko just nodded, and Touko’s furrowed brow released the tension puckering it. Kyouko had seen someone of Byakuya’s height with the same outfit and hairstyle, so she was sure that it was him, but the café’s storefront wasn’t particularly big, and without pressing up to it conspicuously, they wouldn’t be able to investigate it from the outside. 

“Should we go in?” asked Touko.

“Yes,” said Kyouko.

Both took a deep breath and entered the café together. 

A bell jingled above their heads. At the back of the café stood a granite counter, where customers queued to place their orders. Ahead of it, two long lines of tables stretched across the room, few of them occupied. Bricks with generous amounts of grey mortar patterned the wall behind the counter, the corners of the room were painted white and the other walls between the corners were grey. Light fixtures hung from ropes attached to the ceiling.

Byakuya was far into the café, seated opposite a figure in a trenchcoat. The stranger had their back to the rest of the people in the café. Touko glared at them. Kyouko led Touko to a table in the other row to which Byakuya and the stranger were in. 

“You need to be more subtle,” muttered Kyouko, placing Touko so that she was facing into the other row. That way, Touko wouldn’t have to turn her head to stare, which would have been too obvious.

“Who is that...?” Touko said through her teeth. Her lips had compressed very thin. “I can’t see well...”

Kyouko didn’t answer. Even if Touko had been wearing her glasses, Kyouko doubted that Touko would be able to recognise the stranger behind their disguise. Yes, Kyouko would have gone as far as to say that the mystery person had put on a disguise. 

Come on. A trenchcoat and a hat. Really.

The person seemed to be telling Byakuya something with minimal hand gestures. Byakuya’s chin rested in his palm. His hand covered a good part of his face. By his elbow, his latte had hardly been touched. Occasionally, Byakuya replied, barely stirring initially, but then he raised his head and Kyouko made out him say, “No one can know.”

She read it on his lips mostly.

Touko brought a corner of her scarf to her nose and started to tickle herself there. Kyouko realised and seized her wrist.

“Don’t,” Kyouko warned in a low voice.

“I heard!” hissed Touko, playing it awfully close to being loud enough to draw attention to their table. Thankfully, generic pop music played over her. She wrenched a hand under the table, retrieved her glasses and put them on.

Kyouko let her. Touko squinted at the stranger’s back, chewing on her lip, but no recognition lit up her eyes, or her face.

“We’ll order something,” said Kyouko. “That will bring us nearer their table. You can come with me, Touko-san, but you must promise that you won’t react or do anything rash.”

No reply. Touko’s lip endured more nibbles. Kyouko rested her hand on top of Touko’s fist, and Touko broke out of her thoughts, blinking.

“I know it’s tempting, but do you think Togami-kun will be happy if we cause a scene in public?” asked Kyouko. “We need to get as much information as possible, and we mustn’t end the encounter prematurely.”

Touko trembled but nodded. She couldn’t be faulted for feeling what she must have. Kyouko fought to not give into impulse, to bound across the café and demand answers from Byakuya. Though she tensed, she remained resolute. The time for confrontation would come.

They joined the end of the queue, and Kyouko removed Touko’s glasses again. After the customer in front of them placed his order, Kyouko grabbed two muffins and a bottle of water and handed them to the cashier.

“Anything else?” asked the cashier.

Kyouko shook her head. While the cashier totalled their purchase and sorted through change, Kyouko strained her ears, only catching snippets between Byakuya and the stranger, whispered too harshly to make more sense.

“... Shouldn’t...” Byakuya said. “... could... caught...”

“... Work... my life...” The stranger said this. “No regrets...”

They received their goods. Kyouko gripped Touko’s hand and they headed down the centre aisle. As they passed Byakuya’s table, Kyouko’s eyes hidden behind sunglasses, she saw Byakuya reach into a pocket. Unable to pause lest they disrupt them, they continued to the door, and there, Kyouko risked a glance over her shoulder.

Byakuya handed a wad of money over to the person. 

She turned forward sharply and marched out, tugging on Touko’s arm.

“H-Hey! W-What is it?” Touko demanded more than asked, once they were outside. Touko snatched her glasses back, put them on and pressed her face to the window.

Both witnessed the person lean over the table and embrace Byakuya in a hug.

Kyouko heaved Touko back.

“What was that?” snarled Touko, this time knowing, and Kyouko wrapped her arms around Touko from behind, pinning her arms to her sides, but Touko fought back, struggling. 

Her small frame had its limitations, but Touko put up more of a fight than one might have expected, and that would have been enough to break her free from many.

“Please, Touko-san,” said Kyouko. Every second that passed gave more time for an audience to form. Already, a few people had paused to watch, unsure whether to intervene. “Listen. I think I know what happened.”

Touko thrashed some more before slowing down like a wind-up toy.

“You what?” she asked.

“I need to confirm a few things, but we need to return to your mansion before Togami-kun does,” said Kyouko in her ear. “There is something that I need to check that only you will be able to help me with.”

“You mean you know... what?” Touko had relaxed considerably by now, and not so many people were staring. “What do you mean? Who’s with Byakuya?”

“And who was responsible for Sugawara’s murder,” said Kyouko, prompting Touko to stiffen.

“Who was it? Who is it?” asked Touko.

Kyouko let go of Touko, who did not run away. Touko twisted around and beamed wide eyes in Kyouko’s direction, and Kyouko felt the temperature of her face climb.

“I don’t want to say anything too soon. It may put preconceptions in your mind, or false hope. There are certain photographs which I wish to see first, and the only person who may have them is Aloysius Pennyworth,” said Kyouko. She grabbed Touko’s hands. A shiver jolted Touko. “And you, Touko-san, are the only person who can approve my request. Please...”

Touko’s eyes flickered. Kyouko let go only to take off her gloves, and she held Touko’s hands again after, feeling the other woman tense, seeing her eyes widen.

“... you must trust me,” said Kyouko, “even if I cannot say right now why.”

Had it been Makoto stood opposite her, he would have blessed Kyouko with only a moment’s hesitation, and he would have walked to the end of a plank above a pit of lava if she said she would catch him. They were not a couple, and never had been, and though the physical distance between them had strained their connection, they were connected nonetheless. However, Touko stared at Kyouko, not Makoto.

Seconds crawled under Kyouko’s skin. Touko clicked her tongue.

“I know why I will trust you,” said Touko. “It’s because you’re my friend... and...”

She gulped. Licked her lips. Blushed.

“... and a significant other,” finished Touko. “One of them. And... And I know Byakuya... so I know that I have nothing to be afraid of.”

* * *

 

When one recalled their experiences at indoor swimming pools, the smell of chlorine wasn’t an uncommon association. However, the pool at Hope’s Peak didn’t smell of that, or of any chemicals. It lacked any odour, and everything from the tiled floor to the shimmering surface of the water seemed slightly clouded. 

Kyouko couldn’t even remember what book she had been reading, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“Kirigiri-kun!” barked Kiyotaka.

She lifted her head. Her cool gaze clashed with the fiery windows on Kiyotaka’s face.

“You have rested for long enough,” he said, wearing standard navy trunks. He pointed at her. “It is time to participate in the lesson too!”

The mumble of the swimming pool continued, but it sounded more distant than before despite its distance from her not changing.

Sayaka rested a hand on Kyouko’s shoulder and raised her other hand. “Kirigiri-san can’t. Sorry, Ishimaru-kun.”

“Is it your time of the month again?” asked Junko with a grin from the pool, resting her chin in her arms folded on the edge of the poolside. “Maybe you should get yourself checked out.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know how to swim,” suggested Byakuya with a smirk, from a bench by the wall, a book on his lap and a camera next to him. He had been taking photos up until recently in this session for the yearbook.

Kiyotaka put his hands on his hips. “Is that it, Kirigiri-kun? You can’t swim?”

A whistle screeched. Sat in a lifeguard chair, Aoi lowered the small white object from her mouth.

“Kirigiri-chan can’t swim?” shouted Aoi. More people stopped what they were doing to spectate.

Sayaka glanced at Kyouko.

“I can swim,” said Kyouko evenly.

“So why are you disrupting the class by not?” Kiyotaka persisted.

Mondo hoisted himself out of the pool. He didn’t stand up, remaining seated, and grimaced. Water dripped from the end of his pompadour.

“She ain’t doing anything,” Mondo pointed out. “You’re the only one getting worked up about it. Those girls haven’t swam once either, and at least Kirigiri’s wearing her swimsuit.”

He jerked his head in the direction of Touko, who wrung her skirt in both hands, and Celes, standing a short distance away in her loita dress. Touko twitched upon being acknowledged.

“I will be getting to everyone else soon,” said Kiyotaka, whose face grew steadily pinker.

“I have an injury that prevents me from participating in physical education. It’s a pity,” Celes chimed in with her hand over her heart, but only by action, not by expression.

“And I’m hydrophobic,” Touko piped up, not meeting anyone’s eyes. She squeezed her skirt more intensely, her braids seeming extra dishevelled today. “I’m low on the fear hierarchy, so don’t think about throwing me in the deep end of my systematic desensitisation. Years of hard work... would be squandered...”

After a beat, Kiyotaka turned away from her and fixed his stare on Kyouko.

“Togami-kun and Maizono-kun have swam this session,” said Kiyotaka. “If you do not know how to swim, then I would be happy to teach you.”

A smile spruced up his lips, but Kyouko didn’t regard it for very long. She looked down and studied her gloved hands. Footsteps slapped nearby, approaching them.

“Ishimaru-kun, if Kirigiri-san doesn’t want to swim, then she doesn’t have to,” said Makoto, the owner of those footsteps that finished close to Kyouko.

Kiyotaka didn’t speak. No one did. But the silence was loud, taking up too much space in her head. Her chest tightened, and as time trudged on, it didn’t ease up. The twinge buried itself in Kyouko, and every gaze stuck a needle in her skin. She elevated one hand, with her palm facing her, and whiting out everything else in her vision, she slid up her glove far easier than she expected, not removing it completely, but revealing the bottom of her hand.

Everyone’s faces reappeared, etched into the background that melted back in.

“When I was younger, I trusted when I shouldn’t have, and these scars serve as a reminder,” said Kyouko. She looked above where ravaged, purple tone skin was in plain sight, but she didn’t focus on anyone in particular. “I wear gloves to obstruct them from view.”

Kyouko thought it was with disgust that Kiyotaka stepped back. His features screwed up a little, but then he spoke. 

“I apologise...” He trailed off, head tipped forward, lacking the powerful boom that so often accompanied his voice.

“Good!” Aoi scolded, still in the lifeguard chair. She pointed at him. “You pressured her to do that!”

His eyes gleamed on his trembling face. He didn’t reply.

“It’s fine. You didn’t know,” said Kyouko, but Kiyotaka shook his head. She spoke more sternly. “I mean it. I only show my scars to those I consider my family... and that is all of you. I suppose, I was afraid that you would turn on me after I did.”

Kiyotaka jerked up his head with the same look of shock as before.

“Never!” Makoto blurted, and several heads nodded. “Kirigiri-san, we would never...”

Sayaka gripped Kyouko’s shoulder harder. Kyouko couldn’t help smiling, even if it was small.

“We’ve all come together as a sort of family, haven’t we?” mused Sayaka. “All of us, even shy people like Fukawa-san and Togami-kun.”

Kyouko raised her eyebrows. Most of the others experienced a similar quiver on their features. Byakuya had never looked so surprised and offended in Kyouko’s presence prior to this, to the extent that he didn’t, maybe even couldn’t, say anything in response. Mondo gave a snort of laughter, and in a domino effect, everyone else relaxed, though Byakuya’s expression didn’t fade away completely.

“And that includes you, Ishimaru-kun,” said Kyouko, drawing back Kiyotaka’s gaze. “I know that though you were insensitive, you didn’t have any bad intentions. People’s minds work differently, which in some cases, can be hard for others to follow and understand.”

A distance away, Mondo stood up and padded over. He stopped beside Kiyotaka and draped his arm over Kiyotaka’s shoulders, which made Kiyotaka tense.

“She’s right. We’re family,” said Mondo, and Kiyotaka finally grinned.

“You are right! We are a closely knit group.” Kiyotaka looked at Kyouko full on. “And if you don’t wish to swim, then you don’t have to, Kirigiri-kun.”

Kyouko smiled and bowed her head. “Thank you, but I think that I will swim now, if that’s okay.”

She discarded both of her gloves and everyone followed Kyouko back to the pool except Byakuya, who returned to his book, Celes, who watched with a smile, and Touko, who chewed on her lips.

Next week, Kyouko was the only person left in the changing room when she heard footsteps. Kyouko lowered her hands as she turned to see who it was.

“Fukawa-san?” Kyouko greeted, straightening. This was the first time that she had seen Touko here.

Above them, the ceiling fan growled.

“Showing those scars...” Touko clasped her hands together tightly. The strap of her duffle bag moved a bit, slung over her shoulder. “That was ballsy.”

Without another word, Touko took off her uniform. Underneath, she already had her swimsuit on, and on her left thigh, tallies had been scarred into her skin. She slipped on some swim shorts, and then faced Kyouko, who did nothing but look at her.

“W-Well?” said Touko, her heels pointing outward and her knees pointing in. “Let’s go already. I’m not going to hold your hand, if that’s what you’re waiting for.”

Kyouko’s lips stretched out, corners creeping upward. They left together, emerging into the bright light of the indoor swimming pool. It dimmed into the afternoon sky outside of the Togami manor.

As Kyouko intended, by the time they arrived there and Touko had almost fallen on her face getting off the motorcycle, Touko had cooled down significantly, and she followed Kyouko out of the garage obediently and readily. In a corridor, Touko retrieved her phone from her leather holster, swiped the screen and with a few strokes, dialled a number.

“Yukizome,” said Touko.

“Good afternoon, Togami-sama,” chirped Chisa.

“I need keys to Pennyworth’s room,” explained Touko, sharing none of Chisa’s warmth. “Meet me in the dining room.”

“Oh?” went Chisa.

Touko hung up. She put her phone away and set off in the direction of the dining room.

“You don’t have immediate access to the room?” asked Kyouko, striding beside her, eyebrows raised. “It’s your home.”

“We have a skeleton key,” said Touko, and Kyouko assumed that Touko meant herself and Byakuya by that. “But... I want to talk to Yukizome too.”

Kyouko furrowed her brow. “Touko-san, please don’t compromise our mission.”

“I know what I’m doing,” said Touko stiffly, without looking at her.

Chisa arrived before them, and she waited in the dining room with a loop of keys between her thumb and index finger. Touko took the keys from her and eyed Chisa.

“Where is my darling?” asked Touko lightly, but it was a thin layer of frost over a block of ice.

“Oh?” said Chisa. Her shoulders jumped. “He didn’t tell you? It must have slipped his mind.” She raised a finger. “He was called out by someone working with the Conglomerate, who insisted that they meet in person.”

Touko’s inflection didn’t waver. “Did he say who?”

“Ah, he didn’t, sorry,” said Chisa. She touched a hand to her cheek, crossing her other arm over her chest. “How forgetful... He might want to think about hiring his sister to remember these details for him. But I suppose it can’t be helped, being such a busy man...”

Chisa tapped her chin, lips pursed in thought or pursed to give off that impression. Touko spun on her heel and walked out of the room with Kyouko by her side. Kyouko felt sure that Chisa sighed as soon as the door shut behind them.

Neither spoke as they headed to a wing of the manor that Kyouko hadn’t visited before, but Kyouko remembered being informed of an area around this part of the manor where the staff slept and kept their belongings. Their living quarters. Until now, she hadn’t had reason to  come here. They didn’t find anyone milling about in the corridors as they travelled through it briskly, and in front of one of the doors, Touko stopped and faced it. 

She didn’t open it or reach out to do so.

“Touko-san?” said Kyouko and a few seconds later, and only after Kyouko had said her name, did Touko finally unlock the door.

Aloysius ’s bedroom had a rustic colour scheme. Pale green paint coated all four walls, the ceiling was off-white and they walked across a varnished wooden floor. Kyouko peered at the mirrored dome above the headboard of  Aloysius ’s bed, which distorted her reflection. She wiped across it, gathering a bit of dust on her finger.

“When exactly did Pennyworth-san take sick leave?” asked Kyouko. Her reflection mouthed the question at the same time.

“Shortly after the shootings,” replied Touko, who was opening and closing the drawers of a wide, mahogany unit on the opposite side of the room to the bed. A television hung on the wall above it the unit. “It was upsetting. As you will know, he helped raise Byakuya. But he wasn’t just a butler...”

Touko plucked out some things from the bottom drawer and shut it. She stood up and faced Kyouko, hugging two photo albums to her chest. Both women sat together on the end of  Aloysius ’s bed, and Touko opened the first one. While Kyouko recognised a few of the photographs of Byakuya as an infant, the album contained more than had been in the archives, than what  Anastazja owned. Those had all been formal, professional, but these had imperfections, and didn’t always show Byakuya off. Sometimes, they had no big reason for existing, but those were perhaps the most precious. Sometimes, Byakuya blinked, or pulled a face, or his tongue poked out between his lips. 

They reminded Kyouko that even Byakuya had been a child. A toddler. A baby.

The photographs were arranged chronologically. Touko turned the pages slowly, unable to not grin. When she reached Byakuya’s early teens, Kyouko put her hand down on one of the pages. She studied a photograph of Byakuya, in which he stood and stared unsmiling at the camera, holding a violin. A hand rested on his shoulder, but the owner had been cropped out of the shot. Her eyes narrowed.

“What is it you’re looking for?” asked Touko. “If you told me, I can help.”

“I believe I know the culprit,” said Kyouko.

Touko twitched. “Who is it?”

Kyouko stroked the photograph.

“I think it would be best if we hear it from the person themselves,” replied Kyouko. “Just in case I’m wrong. I don’t wish to give you false hope.”

“You’re doing that either way,” said Touko. Kyouko frowned, and when enough time elapsed for Touko to accept that Kyouko didn’t intend to answer, Touko pulled a face and rose.

Initially, Touko paced while Kyouko examined her phone. The screen faced up, but there wasn’t anything on it. She looked around. There wasn’t much in the way of decorations, in this room. Her eyes fell upon the television on the wall.

“Touko-san, would Pennyworth-san possibly have any videos of Togami-kun as a child?” asked Kyouko.

“Yes,” said Touko. She came to a halt. “We can access them from a computer.”

“What about the television?”

“It’s just a display,” said Touko, squinting. “B-But... if we connect it to a laptop, you can watch them on the television. Why though?”

Kyouko folded her arms over her chest.

“You’ll find out soon. It shouldn’t be too long before Togami-kun is back,” said Kyouko. “Would you ask Yukizome-san to let Togami-kun know to come here as soon as he arrives back?”

Touko tapped on her phone and then left the room. Five minutes later, she returned with a laptop and a cable. Kyouko connected the laptop to the television, and she let Touko log into the network. A lot more files were visible on Touko’s account, though the folders were all protected. To access some of them, not only was a password required, but a fingerprint on the built-in reader in the laptop.

“What sort of thing are you looking for?” asked Touko, once she had opened a folder with lots of video files in it.

“We can start at the beginning,” said Kyouko.

Most of the videos ranged from several minutes long to less than a minute. In the earlier ones, they watched him as a baby. Learning to walk. Trying to mimic what Aloysius, behind the camera, said. Byakuya pouted at Aloysius, getting increasingly frustrated, but Aloysius never lost his cool. In some of the recordings, Byakuya performed, his hair growing until he won the competition, when his hair became abruptly shorter. Up to this point, Osamu hadn’t appeared in many, keeping to the background like mould growing on a far wall.

They still had many left, though.

“There are a lot,” Kyouko remarked, staring at the folder as Touko positioned the cursor over the next file.

“As I was telling you, Pennyworth wasn’t just Byakuya’s head butler.” Touko didn’t click the file yet, resting her finger on the button without exerting any pressure. “He had a big responsibility in raising him alongside Byakuya’s mother.”

“I see.” Kyouko rubbed her chin. “Before we continue, I have one last question. Do you know if when Togami-kun was evacuated from the party, if he left the building?”

Touko looked like she tasted something sour.

“... I believe so,” admitted Touko, fidgeting her hands, stooping her posture. “But he must have returned soon after to interview everyone. People could only leave after that.”

That confirmed it. Kyouko kept her features composed.

“Thank you,” said Kyouko.

The next video, which Kyouko barely registered, was one of Byakuya’s piano performances, but she couldn’t fully focus as her mind was caught in a whirlwind. Partway through, the door to the room creaked. They turned toward the source of the noise.

Byakuya gazed at them, without a wig, and he wore a dark suit now instead of a maid dress. First, he looked at Touko, but then his gaze strayed to Kyouko. His brow creased.

“Did you cut your hair?” he asked Kyouko, who didn’t even shrug. 

She just stared back at him. 

He bordered on glaring, but seemed to be making an active effort not to. “Why are you here?”

Touko sprung off the bed and before Kyouko could think about preparing to react, Touko grabbed Byakuya’s shoulders and pulled.

Roughly.

Byakuya yelped.

She might have punctured him had she not had time to cool off before his return.

“What’s going on?” Touko demanded, eyes bulging. “Me and Kirigiri... We know that you snuck out to a café to meet someone... and exchanged money...”

He didn’t answer. His eyebrows raised in... confusion? Surprise? Kyouko stood up, but she didn’t rush over like Touko had done. She stayed standing where she was and looked toward the doorway. Her eyes widened, but just for a moment, and she quickly smoothed over her features.

“Now that we are all here, it’s an appropriate time to announce the killer,” said Kyouko. “Not the person who hired a hitman, because there was no hitman for Sugawara. I’m talking about... the killer himself.”

Touko’s gasp didn’t make it out of her throat. She tightened her hold on Byakuya. His face didn’t change, remaining an exhausting, unsolved equation.

“Before the first shooting in the hall, Togami-kun was with Touko-san.” As Kyouko narrated the events, she imagined the sequences in the form of manga panels. “Sugawara approached them and Togami-kun asked Touko-san to get drinks for them. She did, but when she returned, she couldn’t find either of them, and then the shootings occurred.”

The imaginary hitman fired a gun. Pink blood splattered the pages. Touko cringed in real life.

“Around this time, Sugawara was murdered in a side room, and the weapon was not found,” said Kyouko.

No one spoke. Kyouko stared at the couple.

“We tried to deduce how a guest could dispose of a weapon despite not being allowed outside of the premises prior to being searched and interviewed. How the gun could also not be found on the grounds either. It is because the killer wasn’t a guest,” said Kyouko. She imagined a shadow falling over Osamu’s body. The shadow of a man painted grey. The murderer.

Her finger whipped forward and she pointed at Byakuya.

“It was you...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ty again to maddie for betaing <3


	11. Rainbow in your Heart

Kyouko moved her finger slightly to the left.

“... Aloysius Pennyworth,” she said.

Byakuya stiffened. Behind him, Aloysius Pennyworth, wearing a familiar trench coat and hat, stared at her calmly over Byakuya’s shoulder.

Touko slid her hands from Byakuya’s shoulders to his waist and stepped back, but she didn’t let go of him. She swung her head around and looked at Kyouko with wide eyes.

“P-Pennyworth?” said Touko, her lips barely cooperating.

Kyouko folded her arms over her chest.

“How did you come to that conclusion?” asked Byakuya quietly, not meeting Kyouko’s eyes. He seemed to realise this and forced himself to make eye contact.

A spark flickered between them. The room started to swirl around them, but Kyouko didn’t feel dizzy. Energy surged through Kyouko, filling her with fire and sizzling in her extremities. Kyouko breathed in slowly and then exhaled through her nose. As a detective, she worked in the background, and she allowed others to use her findings in court. This sort of thing came more naturally to someone who regularly dealt with people, who regularly talked to others, like Makoto, but she could do it. She had to do it.

Smoke filled her mouth. Her eyes blazed.

“The person who we saw you with earlier today was undeniably Aloysius Pennyworth. You’re wearing the same outfit,” said Kyouko, directing the last part at Aloysius. She twitched a hand while keeping her arms crossed against her chest. “It was also him that called Togami-kun this morning. Few people would be able to reach Togami-kun’s private number, and even fewer would know about Polaris.”

Byakuya’s lips warped wordlessly before settling.

“Yes, those parts are true. We did arrange to meet today,” said Byakuya. He touched an index and middle finger on the same hand against the frame of his glasses. Kyouko imagined them all stood at wooden podiums in a courtroom. His eyes squinted. “But you’ve made a blind jump to accusing my head butler of such a serious crime, don’t you think?”

Touko let go of him and twirled away, coming to a stop by another non-existent podium, which she gripped. In reality, she just balled her hands into fists in front of her.

“Yeah!” Touko piped up. She stamped a foot and stretched her neck upward, like craning her neck. “To accuse someone that Byakuya holds so highly...!”

“But what is it compared to what Sugawara did?” asked Kyouko. Byakuya and Touko winced. Aloysius acted like had hadn’t heard her. She carried on. “Pennyworth-san understandably didn’t like Sugawara, and he never forgave him for what he did to Togami-kun. It must have been heartbreaking, and to Pennyworth-san, he failed Togami-kun all those years ago.”

Kyouko gave them, any of them, a chance to challenge what she said, but they didn’t for whatever reasons. Aloysius remained stoic, Byakuya clenched his fists and Touko hunched her shoulders.

“By examining photographs from various sources, I discovered that Togami-kun didn’t own any that Sugawara was in - at least, not anymore. Photographs were missing from the albums in the storage room. Togami-kun’s mother showed me photographs including Sugawara, and Pennyworth-san had those photos too... but with Sugawara cut out. He kept the parts with Togami-kun in them, perhaps to remind him. Motivate him.”

“That’s a big reach,” said Byakuya coldly, but though his frostiness nipped at her, it couldn’t swallow the heat of determination in Kyouko.

She shook her head.

“Pennyworth-san has committed murder before for similar reasons, which Shinobu-san revealed to us. But trust me, it is not as baseless as is being pretended. I would be happy to explain,” said Kyouko.

Nobody said no to her offer. Nobody said anything, but nobody said no, and that was good enough.

“Pennyworth-san’s time off coincided with the murder. That could easily be explained as being due to stress. Togami-kun could have been killed. It was an awful tragedy. But there were other small details,” said Kyouko. “Togami-kun started having trouble sleeping around this time. Togami-kun changed suits between the party happening and when he interviewed the witnesses, which only after that happened were the guests allowed to leave. Touko-san and Syo-san couldn’t find Togami-kun before and during the shooting, and it’s because you weren’t in the hall at the time, were you, Togami-kun?”

Kyouko pointed at him. Byakuya widened his eyes. Her heartbeat quickened.

“During the shootings... You were with Sugawara,” she said, just above a whisper. “You left to talk with him, going somewhere private, to the side room where they found his body, while Touko-san reluctantly went to get you drinks. But you were gone when she returned, and she couldn’t find you for that reason.”

He hovered a hand in front of himself. A weak, flimsy shield.

“I...” That was all Byakuya said.

“Darling...?” Touko stared at him. “Is this true?”

Silence didn’t help his case.

“Then, when the shootings started, the first reaction of two people was to locate Togami-kun,” said Kyouko. Her pounding heart encouraged her to march on to its swift beat. “There was Syo-san, who got sidetracked with Komaru and security, and the person who raised him, Pennyworth-san. He met up with Togami-kun and Sugawara, and then shot Sugawara in the head, killing him. That is why the murder weapon wasn’t found on any of the guests. A guest could not, and did not, commit the murder. It had to be either Togami-kun or Pennyworth-san.”

Touko’s face contorted as she took in and dissected Kyouko’s words. She glared at Kyouko.

“So what are you saying?” Touko tore into her. “That my darling and Pennyworth planned this?”

Her words bounced off Kyouko harmlessly.

“Only they can confirm it. However, I believe the moment presented itself and they took it.” Kyouko cupped her chin. “Is that the case, Togami-kun?”

Byakuya gritted his teeth. “I... never said...”

“If my darling planned it, why would he continue to employ you to find out who did it?” asked Touko, biting on a fingernail. But she wavered. Tipping. Even if she didn’t move so much as an inch. “Is it because he didn’t think you would solve that murder, and he planned to use that as a reason to dismiss you and let the case go cold?”

Unlike what Touko said earlier, these words didn’t bounce. They trailed slime on their way down Kyouko.

“Perhaps,” said Kyouko coolly. “Or perhaps it is because Togami-kun wasn’t aware of what happened until today. Though for him to not realise what happened despite being in the room...”

“Exactly!” Touko said, springing onto tiptoe. She flapped her elbows. “How can that happen, huh?”

“Then... it would seem Togami-kun doubted my abilities, and he has known who the culprit was all this time,” said Kyouko. That didn’t taste sweet in Kyouko’s mouth.

“No, wait,” mumbled Touko, sagging, but she didn’t elaborate, visibly anxious. At this rate, her thumb would become a stub between her chattering teeth.

Byakuya opened his mouth; however, his voice wasn’t the one that Kyouko heard next.

“That will do,” interrupted Aloysius. He rested a hand on Byakuya’s shoulder. “It seems that the young master chose his investigator too well. Yes, I confess. It did it. I slipped out after I killed him, and then I re-entered the room.”

“It was not him!” Byakuya snarled, jerking his shoulder, but Aloysius stayed latched on. “He’s just... It was me. He’s covering for me. I killed him.”

Aloysius ignored Byakuya and continued gazing at Kyouko. “The young master had nothing to do with this. He didn’t notice me come in and shoot, and he did not know until today that I was the culprit.”

“I see,” said Kyouko. She rubbed her chin. “Excuse me, Pennyworth-san, but even with your confession, I wish to straighten out all the details. So Sugawara and Togami-kun didn’t notice Pennyworth-san come in and shoot, and Sugawara showed no signs of a struggle. Could Sugawara have been too drunk? But that doesn’t explain why Togami-kun didn’t realise what had happened. Could it be that they were both enthralled in a conversation, or, Togami-kun, that you were both distracted doing something else?”

Lightning cracked across Byakuya’s darkened features. His eyes flashed.

“Shut up,” hissed Byakuya. Touko flinched. He slapped himself on his chest. “I let Pennyworth kill him. I knew about it. I distracted Sugawara.”

Kyouko pursed her lips.

“It was something that pushed Pennyworth-san into killing him,” said Kyouko. “It was done in the heat of the moment. Togami-kun and Sugawara were standing close... and that’s why your suit got dirty, isn’t it, Togami-kun? You got his blood on it. If it had been planned, then you made things unnecessarily difficult for yourself by making it so you would have to change suits afterwards.”

Byakuya’s eyes lit up.

“Shut up!” Byakuya shouted.

Touko whimpered and tugged on her hair. His statements of denial shot out of his mouth, his words bright and yellow, but Kyouko’s tongue mowed through them like a gun of her own.

“But everything makes sense in this scenario,” said Kyouko. “Pennyworth-san was outside of the hall before it went into lockdown. He would have realised you weren’t in the main hall and left to locate you during the commotion. Then, he could have got rid of the murder weapon. Or would that even be necessary? Did it even occur to you to search him with everyone else, Togami-kun?”

He mouthed something.

“I was searched,” confirmed Aloysius.

It didn’t matter though.

“You were searched after you fled with Togami-kun. After you had the opportunity to get another suit for him. After you returned,” said Kyouko. “You were more than capable of getting rid of the gun. If Togami-kun had Sugawara’s blood on him, that would place him at the scene. All suspicion would fall on him, or people would ask too many questions and find out what had happened. That is why Pennyworth-san has been absent, so Togami-kun would not be linked to the crime.”

She stared hard at Aloysius.

“But why is it that you phoned Togami-kun today?” she asked him.

“Stop it!” Byakuya demanded, but only Touko turned to him. “Stop talking like what you’re saying is true. I already said that I did it.”

“Is that why you went in disguise?” Touko asked him, wringing her hands. “Did you not want to be spotted with him because when Pennyworth was arrested, this sighting could implicate you? You would be seen as conspiring with him.”

“You stop it too!” Byakuya snapped.

Touko trembled.

“Darling... We promised each other we wouldn’t keep big secrets anymore. Please.”

He hesitated. Her wedding ring glinted.

“Please,” she said again, and his glinted next. His lips quivered, then he grimaced.

“... I did leave the hall to have a private conversation with Sugawara, prior to the first murder,” admitted Byakuya. He spoke slowly. “Sugawara was drunk, and he wanted to talk, so I sent Touko on an errand and we slipped away. The matter of what previously happened between us came up. It got heated, and then he...”

Byakuya cut off there, abruptly. His jaw clenched.

“W-What did he do?” asked Touko hoarsely.

He didn’t look at her. “... Sugawara forced himself on me.”

The stuff of nightmares. More precisely, Byakuya’s nightmares.

Touko covered her mouth. Her eyes brimmed.

“I didn’t fight him off, but don’t think it’s because I replicated or wanted it,” said Byakuya. No one doubted him. “I froze. I couldn’t think. Then, I heard noise, a bang, a gunshot, and he slumped, dead in my arms.”

Byakuya tried to swallow, but it was like he had Osamu’s tongue down his throat again. His features tensed.

“But... that doesn’t mean Pennyworth did what you claim,” Byakuya told Kyouko. Regardless, his vehemence had died down. A lot. “Pennyworth came in afterwards...”

Kyouko’s lips thinned.

“This is all circumstantial,” said Byakuya. His head jolted back. “You know, I should dismiss you right now...”  He pushed up his glasses. “Yes, pack your bags and go, Kirigiri...”

“Togami-kun,” said Kyouko quietly. She didn’t have a wedding ring, but her eyes glinted. Her teeth glinted. “I can’t understand how you felt, but I know that it was traumatic. It would be, even for someone like you, but Pennyworth-san already confessed to the murder.”

“You’re wrong!” Byakuya shouted. His eyes bulged. “Shall I spell it phonetically? Write it out?”

“Young Master, please...” Aloysius squeezed Byakuya’s shoulder. “It’s quite all right. You are innocent. You don’t have to to worry about being framed, or being found guilty.”

“You...” Byakuya stared at him incredulously. He started shaking. “You idiot, Pennyworth! Do you think I’m worried about my own skin right now? You think that’s why I insisted you come home?”

Aloysius’s hand lifted off Byakuya’s shoulder, but didn’t rise very far. “Pardon?”

“I can get away with this,” said Byakuya, and he turned around to face him completely. “The conglomerate will cover it up if I tell them the murder was committed by me. Think. What would become of you, Pennyworth? You don’t hold so much power.”

Realisation rippled across Aloysius’s face like a penny dropped in a puddle. Byakuya hadn’t met up with Aloysius in disguise to protect Byakuya’s identity, but to protect Aloysius’s, to distance Aloysius from the conglomerate that had all eyes on it. And now, Kyouko knew the money hadn’t been payment for the murder. It had been money for Aloysius to survive on.

“Young master...” Aloysius couldn’t wrinkle his face more, but the lighting slung across it could change, and it did when he tilted his head forward a bit and gripped Byakuya’s shoulder again. His eyes shimmered as he smiled. “I am old, and even if I wasn’t, I would take your place without a second thought. I phoned today because I couldn’t bear to put you through all this any longer. I only wish that I had killed that vile monster sooner.”

Kyouko couldn’t see Byakuya’s face, and for the next few seconds, Byakuya remained absolutely still. Near them, Touko eyed them as she kneaded her hands together, cheeks sucked in and her brow creased. Then, without warning, without a word, Byakuya fell into Aloysius, who froze, and when Aloysius thawed, he wrapped his arms around Byakuya in a hug. Touko darted over and enveloped Byakuya in one of her own.

Aloysius met Kyouko’s eyes. She smiled. Not breaking eye contact, Aloysius reached under his coat and calmly raised the arm closest to Touko.

A gun. He had got out a gun. A gun that could have killed Osamu, and probably did. Kyouko breathed in sharply. Touko heard Kyouko’s gasp and lifted her head.

“No!” yelled Touko as she grabbed Aloysius’s upper arm. She tugged on it, trying to pull it down, but he refused to relent.

Byakuya pried himself from Aloysius’s chest, noticed what was happening and stiffened.

“That won’t be necessary,” said Byakuya quietly. He curled his fingers around Aloysius’s wrist and turned his head toward Kyouko, giving her a glimpse of his rainy day blue eyes and a creeping of Sun on his lips.

It made a rainbow in her heart.

Still, she couldn’t relax. Not with a gun still pointed vaguely in her direction. Kyouko was human, and she trembled faintly.

“If you are worried about me turning either of you in, you can rest easy,” said Kyouko. Sweat beaded on her forehead. “I don’t have any intentions to tell anyone.”

Aloysius cocked the gun. Her heart nearly jumped up her throat, even if they could only see her eyebrows climb, but he didn’t shoot.

“So what will you do?” asked Aloysius.

“Continue as I am,” said Kyouko. “I will be working on other cases, but I will keep this on the backburner.”

“But what if you get replaced by Byakuya’s father?” asked Touko, raising a valid point. “And what if they get suspicious of Byakuya or Pennyworth? That man,” Kijou, “might blackmail Byakuya into staying quiet.”

Byakuya’s lips twisted in thought.

“My only concern about that is for my family,” said Byakuya, not referring to people like Kijou. “But I’ll think of something.” He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”

But Kyouko already had something in mind.

* * *

 

“Byakuya-kun, please look at the camera,” said Aloysius, but the toddler, if he was old enough to be considered that, refused, sitting on an armchair comically bigger than him.

His colourful book was far more interesting.

Aloysius pointed a finger at a word on an exposed page. Patience had been trained into his tone. “Can you say this, Byakuya-kun? Cat?”

Drool bubbled in Byakuya’s mouth. Noise swam between his lips. Nothing comprehensible to an adult. Still, Aloysius smiled fondly behind the camera.

Then...

“D-D...” went Byakuya, and Aloysius readied the camera for what would be Byakuya’s first word. “D... Daddy!”

Byakuya was pointing at him, beaming, but Aloysius didn’t smile at all.

Aloysius blurted, “No, no. I am Pennyworth.”

“Daddy,” said Byakuya, still pointing.

“Pen. I am Pen.”

“Dad. Dee.”

“Please, Byakuya-kun...”

Byakuya looked Aloysius straight in the eyes. “Daddy!”

Aloysius fumbled behind the camera.

The recording cut off there.

* * *

 

Newspaper rustled in Hikasa’s hands as she adjusted it so she could see the front page more clearly. At the top, loud font, solid black, announced that the missing body had been found. In more modest font below, the article explained that it had been hidden by the accomplice to a serial killer known as the Poisoning Pervert, real name Miki. Not in the article was the fact that the accomplice confessed after a private meeting with Hikasa. He had given the missing murder weapon to a friend before being apprehended at a different crime scene, and with the body located and the culprits behind bars, Hikasa had no reason to bother Ishida and Sawashiro anymore.

She turned away from the office building, where they worked on the top floor, and brought one foot forward. Her suitcase thumped rhythmically as she descended stone stairs. After she arrived at the bottom, she only managed a few more steps before hearing the door be thrown open.

“Hey, Hikasa!” Sawashiro yelled, and Hikasa stopped. “You were just going to leave without a word?”

Hikasa turned around to face her. “I thought it would be easier that way.”

Sawashiro glowered and balled her hands into fists.

“I won’t let you go, Hikasa...” One of Sawashiro’s hands raised up, and she uncurled her little finger. “... until you promise that you won’t forget us.”

The sort of gust of wind only found on television rolled by, playing with Hikasa’s skirt. Sawashiro stared at Hikasa as she waited for an answer, face flushed red. Ishida stepped out of the building and adjusted his white frame glasses, standing next to his wife.

A smile spread across Hikasa’s lips and she strode back to the building, approaching the pair out front. The wheels of her suitcase rumbled. When she reached Sawashiro, she hooked her gloved little finger around hers. They both squeezed each other’s digit at the same time, but the symmetry ended there - while Hikasa stayed upright, Sawashiro bobbed her head forward and planted a kiss onto Hikasa’s lips.

At first, Hikasa was too surprised to react, but in Sawashiro’s warmth, she loosened up. She cupped Sawashiro’s cheek. The kiss stayed soft but prolonged, and most of the sensations happened in Hikasa’s chest, tingling, fluttering, soaring, as opposed to where the two women held each other, where their mouths slotted into place and their noses slightly squashed together. All Hikasa could hear was their breathing.

Finally, Sawashiro withdrew, prompted by Ishida’s hand pulling gently on her shoulder. Ishida bent down and pressed the pads of his fingers against the underside of Hikasa’s chin. He kissed her next. While Sawashiro had been soft, clinging, Ishida’s kiss was firm, but it was just as unyielding and enticing as the one that preceded it. Heat trickled out from between his lips, sending a wave through Hikasa that left her weak in the knees. Each shift felt deliberate, contrasting with the unpredictability, restlessness of Sawashiro.

His hand slipped from her chin to her cheek. With his thumb, he gave a small stroke before he straightened up. He let his hand fall to his side.

“If another case like this comes up, we’ll be sure to contact you,” he told Hikasa with a small smile, and Sawashiro’s features hardened in place of a cliché nod.

“I might return before then,” said Hikasa. “But my work involves a lot of travelling, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

“We will,” he replied. Sawashiro hugged his arm.

Hikasa walked away. She secured her suitcase to the back of her motorcycle and looked back one last time, grinning when Sawashiro waved. Then Hikasa put on her helmet and sped off into the distance, twinkling like a star.

Hey, not all clichés are bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this! Big shout out to Einzel, NOT_TOWA_WAKASA and EvilMuffins for their comments.
> 
> Also a big thank you to Maddie, who RP'ed the story which this was heavily based on with me, and for being very supportive and beta'ing the later chapters.

**Author's Note:**

> i'll try to update this weekly (i have 6 chapters written, another part-written and then just another one or two to write). later chapters are e-rated but the majority of the fic isn't, and i'll warn for it.


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